Fire Department Subpoenaed In Federal Probe Over Forest Fires

PACIFIC PALISADES—On Tuesday, November 4, the Los Angeles Fire Department received a federal grand jury subpoena issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California regarding internal communications about the department’s response to both the Lachman Fire and the Pacific Palisades Fire. This subpoena is part of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigation into the forest fires. It also legally requires the Los Angeles Fire Department to turn over documents and internal data. In addition, the fire department needs to turn over communications sent and received between 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and 10 a.m. on January 7 regarding reports of hotspots, smoke, and fire that occurred between the Temescal Ridge Trail and the Leacock Trailhead. The subpoena requires all officers of the Los Angeles Fire Department to turn over to the federal investigators screenshots of the text messages they received on their devices issued to them by the department about any calls, dispatches, or communications about the Lachman Fire and the Pacific Palisades Fire. It is the same with text messages and calls that the officers received on their personal devices.   By Daniel Diquinzio