Kristin Crowley was elevated to Los Angeles fire chief in 2022 at a time of department turmoil. As a career firefighter, she was portrayed by the then-mayor as a stabilizing force.

Chief Kristin Crowley said during an interview Friday that the city failed the department amid the ongoing wildfires in Southern California that have taken at least 11 lives and burned more than 37,000 acres.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said that the City of Los Angeles failed its residents after failing to properly fund the fire department.

For five consecutive days, wildfires fanned by strong winds have ravaged neighborhoods in Los Angeles, destroying more than 12,300 homes and buildings and leaving at least 11 dead. Fresh evacuations were ordered from Mandeville Canyon to the Interstate 405 freeway on Friday evening because of a flare up of the massive Palisades Fire.

The Palisades Fire has grown to more than 20,000 acres since breaking out on Tuesday and was still only 11% contained on Saturday, and the Palisades neighborhood remains a mandato

Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as a deadly brush fire in the Pacific Palisades grew to more than 20,000 acres this week and destroyed thousands of structures.

Here’s what we know about the active fires as of Saturday morning (Pacific time): • The Palisades Fire is 11 percent contained (up from 8 percent on Friday afternoon) and has burned 21,596 acres. • The Eaton Fire is 15 percent contained (up from 3 percent on Friday) and has burned 14,