Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore acknowledged Tuesday that the department’s after-action report on the Palisades fire was edited to protect senior leadership from criticism. This statement follows a report by The Times that revealed the document had been altered to minimize the failures of both city and LAFD officials in handling the January 7, 2025, fire. The blaze resulted in 12 deaths and destroyed thousands of homes.
The original author of the after-action report refused to endorse it, citing significant deletions that changed his findings. He described the revised version as “highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.”
“It is now clear that multiple drafts were edited to soften language and reduce explicit criticism of department leadership in that final report,” Moore said during remarks before the city’s Board of Fire Commissioners. “This editing occurred prior to my appointment as fire chief. And I can assure you that nothing of this sort will ever again happen while I am fire chief.”
Moore, who became chief in November, did not identify those responsible for changing the report. At the time of the Palisades fire, interim chief Ronnie Villanueva led the LAFD after Mayor Karen Bass removed Kristin Crowley from her post less than two months following the incident.
The changes made to the after-action report included revisions to descriptions of pre-deployment decisions. While an early draft stated that failing to fully staff up ahead of strong winds “did not align” with policy, the final version claimed pre-deployment efforts “went above and beyond the standard LAFD pre-deployment matrix.”
“This is about learning and not assigning blame,” said Fire Commissioner Sharon Delugach, commending Moore for his statements.
Moore also admitted shortcomings regarding a previous incident: he said city officials did not ensure that a January 1, 2025, blaze known as the Lachman fire was completely extinguished. That fire later reignited and became the Palisades fire six days later.
Moore explained, “That was based on the information, conditions and procedures in place at that moment. That belief guided the operational decision-making that was made,” he said. “However, the outcome has made it incredibly clear that our mop-up and verification process needed to be stronger.” He added, “We have to own that, and I do.”
These comments marked a shift for Moore, who previously criticized media coverage related to reports about firefighters leaving smoldering ground at Lachman fire’s site before it was fully out.
“Something that’s been very frustrating for me as fire chief, and through this process, is to watch my friends in the media smear our name and the work that our firefighters did to combat one of the most intense fires, the Palisades, the wind-driven monstrosity that it was,” he said at his first Fire Commission meeting as chief.
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 3:31 PM.
