The head of the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) has disclosed that the after-action review of the catastrophic Palisades Fire underwent multiple revisions to shield department leadership, according to a recent report.

The Palisades Fire, which erupted in January 2025, ranks as the third most destructive wildfire in California’s history, as noted by Cal Fire.

LAFD Chief Jaime Moore acknowledged the modifications to the report during a meeting of the LA Fire Commission on Tuesday, as reported by KNBC.

“It’s evident now that several drafts were altered to dilute the language and lessen the direct criticism aimed at department leadership in the final version of the report,” Moore stated, according to the station. “These changes were made before I assumed the role of Fire Chief. I assure you that such practices will not occur under my leadership.”

In an image, LAFD Fire Chief Jaime Moore is seen speaking at a Hollywood Walk of Fame Award of Excellence ceremony in Los Angeles, Calif., on December 12, 2025. Alongside, a firefighter is captured battling the Palisades Fire during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles on January 7, 2025. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Ringo Chiu/Reuters)

In November, KNBC reported that an anonymous letter was sent to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmembers Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Traci Park claiming that the LAFD’s after-action report on the Palisades Fire wasn’t thorough because its preparation was supervised by some of the same fire officials who made decisions during the blaze.

Moore also said that the department’s handling of the Lachman Fire — a small New Year’s Day 2025 brush fire that ignited in the Pacific Palisades, eventually leading to the Palisades Fire — wasn’t good enough, KNBC added. 

“At the time, fire companies were instructed to pick up hose. The department genuinely believed the fire was fully extinguished. That was based on the information, condition and procedures in place at that moment,” Moore reportedly said. 

A drone image shows damage from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 28, 2025. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Firefighters working the site of the Lachman Fire were ordered to leave the original burn scene despite tree stumps there being hot to the touch, according to a review of firefighter text messages by the Los Angeles Times last October.

The newspaper, citing the texts, reported that the firefighters’ battalion chief told them to pack up their hoses and depart the area on Jan. 2, one day after the Lachman Fire was declared contained. Then on Jan. 7, heavy winds reignited smoldering roots from the same area, sparking the Palisades Fire, which burned some 7,000 structures and killed 12 people. 

Firefighters watch the flames from the Palisades Fire burning a home during a powerful windstorm on Jan. 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif.  (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

“As a result, we’ve already changed our mop-up procedures, and we formally incorporated the use of the drone technology to enhance post suppression verification, situational awareness, and detection of residual heat,” Moore also said Tuesday, according to WNBC.