LA Firefighter Retaliated Against for Noting Lachman Fire Wasn’t Extinguished, Leading to Palisades Blaze – RedState
We’ve reported extensively on the many, many failures of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Golden State Governor Gavin Newsom, and state and local officials on their botched preparation and then response to the devastating wildfires that wiped out entire neighborhoods of Los Angeles in January 2025.
But now, newly-released deposition testimony from an LAFD firefighter confirms what we reported back in October, 2025 about the Lachman Fire, which ignited just after midnight on January 1, 2025, and smoldered underground until January 7, when it reignited and burned through Pacific Palisades. At that time, we reported:
According to multiple Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters, crews mopping up the January 1, 2025, Lachman Fire in Pacific Palisades were ordered by a Battalion Chief on January 2 to roll up hoses and leave the scene even though the ground was smoldering and “red hot coals” were found in the area.
DIVE DEEPER: LAFD Whistleblowers Destroy Official Narrative on Palisades Fire Cause
Former reality star Spencer Pratt, who saw his home and his parents’ home burned down in the conflagration and is now running for mayor because he’s infuriated by the “leadership” shown by Karen Bass and state officials, is one of many residents suing the City of Los Angeles, the State of California, and various agencies, alleging that their negligence caused the blaze. LAFD firefighter Scott Pike was one of the firefighters deposed in the matter, and attorney Alexander “Trey” Robertson, representing the Plaintiffs, was finally able to release those videos Thursday after the City of Los Angeles fought to keep them sealed.
Pratt shared a six-minute clip from Pike’s deposition in which he explained what happened when he was called in on overtime to mop up the Lachman Fire.
JUST DECLASSIFIED: bombshell deposition where brave LAFD veteran Scott Pike blows the whistle on how the Lachman Fire was still smoldering. He tried to get firefighters to do more mop-up and was blown off. He also reveals he faced intimidation and reprisals from the city for… pic.twitter.com/dJ4lkXdzp5
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) February 27, 2026
JUST DECLASSIFIED: bombshell deposition where brave LAFD veteran Scott Pike blows the whistle on how the Lachman Fire was still smoldering. He tried to get firefighters to do more mop-up and was blown off. He also reveals he faced intimidation and reprisals from the city for speaking up.
No one listened to the veteran firefighter as he tried to tell them they had a real problem on their hands:
“I didn’t even want to use my gloved hand because it was hot, so I just kicked it with my boot to kind of expose it.
“There was like red hot like coals that was still smoldering, and I even heard crackling.”
Later in the clip, Pike says:
“That’s how I approached him, is like, ‘Hey, Cap … We have hot spots in general. We have some ash pits.’ That’s an alert to double check the whole area and maybe we need to switch our tactics.”
Pike testified that other firefighters there, as well as the captain, seemed eager to leave the site, since it was a holiday and they were working overtime. He also said he regrets no one listened to him.
Attorney Robertson shared another clip from Pike’s deposition in which he says:
“Attorneys for the City of Los Angeles try to harass the whistleblower firefighter for consulting with a private attorney because he is afraid of retaliation from the LAFD and the City for exposing the lies. Let that sink in. Every chief and company officer at the LAFD that participated in this coverup needs to be fired immediately and the Mayor needs to be held accountable. This is unacceptable. 7,000 families lost their homes and 12 people burned to death and all the LAFD and Mayor Bass want to do is cover up the truth. The victims deserve better.”
In this clip the attorneys for the City of Los Angeles try to harrass the whistleblower firefighter for consulting with a private attorney before his deposition because he is afraid of retaliation from the LAFD and the City for exposing the lies. Let that sink in. Every chief and… pic.twitter.com/SMNV9rWNs8
— 415FirePhoto (@415FirePhoto) February 27, 2026
Documentary filmmaker Gabriel Mann shared a compilation of clips in which “firefighters reveal State Park employees told them THEY would take over patrolling the Lachman Fire for rekindles for the next few days. State Park employee confesses he never visited the burn again.”
BREAKING: LAFD depositions have been declassified! Damning moment where firefighters reveal State Park employees told them THEY would take over patrolling the Lachman Fire for rekindles for the next few days. State Park employee confesses he never visited the burn again. pic.twitter.com/s2HdPuUx8x
— Mann Made Cinema (@Hotshot_Movie) February 27, 2026
California State Parks, one of the defendants, is in CYA mode.
— CA State Parks (@CAStateParks) February 27, 2026
PROGRESSIVE FAILURE: Caught: LAFD’s Secret Plan to Protect Karen Bass and Dept. From Fire Report Fallout
As we’ve reported, 16 people, mostly senior citizens, were killed in the catastrophe, and approximately 10,000 homes were destroyed. The list of failures by elected officials, who are almost uniformly Democrat in the Golden State, is long: a key reservoir was empty after years of neglect, the LAFD chief was more focused on DEI than fire preparation, Mayor Bass was overseas even though she’d be warned that a disaster was looming, and Gavin Newsom’s California State Parks officials told firefighters to stand down in certain areas because they might endanger plants and culturally sensitive sites.
If those are not symbols of wokeism gone wild, I don’t know what are.
If they’d listened to Scott Pike, a lot of misery might have been avoided. Remember this, California voters, at the polls this May 5th to June 2nd (a ridiculous time period), when Karen Bass faces a primary vote, but more importantly, remember it in November 2028 when Gavin Newsom could be on the presidential ballot, considering it seems like he’s been running for commander in chief for the last couple of years instead of dealing with the myriad problems in his own state.
Scott Pike’s story is yet more proof that “progressive” leadership always leads to utter failure.
Editor’s Note: Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass, and the “progressives” are ruining California.
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