LAFD Whistleblower Blames 7-Day Fire Watch Failure for Palisades Blaze as Prosecutors Seek Retrial
Updated
Updated · FOX 11 Los Angeles · Jun 27
LAFD Whistleblower Blames 7-Day Fire Watch Failure for Palisades Blaze as Prosecutors Seek Retrial
3 articles · Updated · FOX 11 Los Angeles · Jun 27
Summary
A veteran LAFD firefighter alleged department leaders failed to monitor and fully extinguish the Jan. 1 Lockman fire, letting it reignite seven days later into the destructive Palisades Fire.
The anonymous whistleblower said standard fire-watch steps were skipped, including keeping engines on site, rotating checks every four or five hours, calling hand crews and using infrared drones that had cost millions.
A juror from Jonathan Rinderknecht’s federal arson trial said those doubts about a “holdover fire” helped prevent a conviction, and the case ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked.
Federal prosecutors still plan to retry 30-year-old Rinderknecht, while the LAFD has not commented and it remains unclear whether the department will investigate the negligence claims.