The 8-acre Lachman Fire in Topanga State Park was not fully extinguished and resulted in the January 7, 2025 Palisades Fire.
Initial depositions relating to the Lachman Fire were released, February26. Lead Attorney Rober Behle of Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, LLP said, “These depositions are game changers. For more than a year, the public has been kept in the dark by the government.
“The truth is now coming out, and it proves what we all knew: The Palisades Fire was avoidable,” Behle said. “The government failed the people of Pacific Palisades miserably.”
According to initial reports there was no reason to investigate the January 7, 2025, Palisades Fire because it was caused by climate change, “hurricane” force winds and lack of resilient building materials and landscaping. It was only after lawsuits were filed by fire victims, and hundreds of public records requests filed by the media and attorneys, is the truth starting to emerge.
The Palisades fire destroyed nearly 7,000 homes, killed 12 and left thousands displaced. It is estimated to have cost between $28 and $53.8 billion in property damages.
The Palisades Fire was a holdover of a fire from the January 1 Lachman Fire, which had been considered extinguished on January 1. Witnesses claimed there were wisps of smoke on the burn scar several days later. A rekindling of that fire was later given as the cause of the January 7 fire. If the Lachman Fire had been properly extinguished the January 7 Fire would not have happened.
Attorneys for the people asked the judge in December if depositions could be taken of 12 LAFD firefighters and five State Parks personnel about the Lachman Fire before memories faded. The judge agreed.
The first four LAFD firefighter depositions were scheduled to begin on December 18, 2025. On December 16, two days before, lawyers received an email from attorneys representing the City of Los Angeles indicating that the firefighters wanted to hire private attorneys – rather than being represented by City attorneys.
After depositions were completed at the end of January, City attorneys asked for a 30-day period of confidentiality, which was granted.
But, one attorney told CTN that “what I heard last Friday from one witness was stunning. . .and will be a game changer.” The records were sealed until February26.
In one deposition, Firefighter/Paramedic Scott Pike, who was stationed in Sunland came to Station 23 on January 2 to pick up an overtime shift. The 23-year-department veteran with the department had not heard about the Lachman Fire, until he was sent to the Highlands to roll up hoses.
When Engine 23 was called away, and it was Pike and his ambulance partner left with the hoses. The men were in two different areas of the burn scar. Pike started to see signs that the fire might not have been fully extinguished where he was working.
In his deposition he said about the ground, “I just kicked it with my boot to kind of expose it, and there was, like, red hot, like, coals what I believed to be the base of a bush or branches that was still smoldering. And I even heard crackling.
“So, what I did, . . .the way the hose was coming down the hill into my area, I did what any good firefighter would do,” he said. “I cracked the coupling and I pinched the hose, and I directed residual water into the ash pit to just cool that off, to start to mitigate these ash pits.”
As Pike said his deposition “I’m like the house guest. I’m not going to just tell people or try to micromanage and give commands. I’m not in charge.”
Eventually he was joined by more firefighters – no one he knew. But he told them about the smokers, and it was agreed he should tell the Captain, who may have been from 69.
Pike remembers saying, “Hey, Cap, that area over there. . .there’s an ash pit and some smokers. Hey, maybe — maybe we should do a little more overhaul.” He said the Captain paused and “I remember him just kind of . . .listening to what I’m saying. And he said, ‘Yeah, you know what, if that’s the case maybe we should get some — at least get some hand tools up here.’”
Towards the end of his disposition, the City Attorney attacks Pike and wanting to know why he needed a lawyer, when he was hired and questions him about text messages.
Pike responds, “Am I not allowed to seek personal counsel — is there some sort of rule I broke?”
Pike continues “Why is that relevant? I feel I should have the right to seek counsel. I’m asking why you’re so concerned? That’s why I have a UFLAC attorney represented here with me. . .
Pike said to Benjamin Barokh of the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, “You represent the City, so we should want to get all of our kinks figured out, get our fire department back to normal staffing, good command, good decisions and whatnot. What does it matter where I seek legal counsel? Because I don’t see anybody just wanting to get the truth.”
Pike also noted he was happy to answer anything related to January 2, which was the only time he was at the Lachman Fire for about a three-and-a-half-hour window. . .. “But if you want to step outside of those, I’m not going to answer anything because I don’t trust the City.”
Pike further explained that with everything going on, “I think people are looking for scapegoats. I think people are looking to make people look bad. And I haven’t seen anybody step up and take responsibility. None of my leaders, none of the City leaders.· Nobody.
“It’s not my responsibility to share opinions about all the bigger stuff . . . ·Because I’m just saying, I don’t think a lot of people would want my opinion because it involves truths that I feel people are already ignoring,” Pike said.