Federal Grand Jury Subpoena Served on Los Angeles Fire Department
A federal grand jury subpoena has been served on the Los Angeles Fire Department, seeking firefighters’ text messages and other communications related to the January 1 Lachman brushfire, which reignited six days later into the massive Palisades fire. According to an internal department memo, the subpoena was issued by the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles and is part of an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Investigation into the Palisades Fire
The Palisades fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes, businesses, and other structures, is considered the most destructive in the city’s history. An ATF investigation led to the arrest of former Pacific Palisades resident Jonathan Rinderknecht, who was charged with deliberately setting the January 1 fire. Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty, and it is unclear whether the subpoena is directly related to his case.
According to an affidavit attached to the criminal complaint against Rinderknecht, ATF agents concluded that the fire smoldered and burned for days underground, within the root structure of dense vegetation, until heavy winds caused it to spark the Palisades inferno. The Times reported that firefighters had warned a battalion chief that remnants of the blaze were still smoldering, but were ordered to pack up their hoses and leave the burn area.
Fire Department’s Response
The Fire Department has not answered questions about the firefighter accounts in the text messages, but has previously stated that officials did everything they could to ensure that the Lachman fire was fully extinguished. However, the department has not provided dispatch records of all firefighting and mop-up activity before January 7. After The Times published a story about the incident, Mayor Karen Bass directed interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva to launch an investigation into the matter, while critics of her administration have asked for an independent inquiry.
The subpoena seeks any and all communications, including text messages, related to reports of fire, smoke, or hotspots received between 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and 10 a.m. on January 7. The memo did not include a copy of the subpoena, and a spokesperson with the U.S. attorney’s office declined to confirm that a subpoena was issued. For more information, visit Here
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