The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) chief warned a month ago that a near $18 million budget cut had plunged it into “unprecedented operational challenges” which would hamper its ability to respond to large-scale emergencies like wildfires.

LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley sounded off on the budget cuts in a Dec. 4 memo viewed by Fox News Digital where she foresaw what she described as the “cascading impacts” the cost-saving measures would have on the department.

The city slashed $17.6 million from the LAFD in its latest budget and the decision has come in for scathing criticism as several monster fires rip through the county with at least 10 people already announced dead from the disaster.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tour the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades as the Palisades Fire continues to burn on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

Fox News’ Emmett Jones contributed to this report.