Dozens of Los Angeles Fire Vehicles Were in the Maintenance Yard During the Wildfires
Find Firehouse.com’s full coverage of the 2025 California Fire Storm, which began Jan. 7 near Los Angeles, here.
As firefighters scrambled to stop the Eaton and Palisades wildfires, dozens of rigs were out of service for a myriad of issues.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley blamed budget cuts for some of the fire department’s response issues and said that while the extra vehicles may not have stopped the fires they could have helped to save homes.
IAFF Local President Freddy Escobar told KTLA: “I don’t know exactly why each one is here, but I can tell you what has caused them to be here … The LAFD has not had the funding mechanism to supply enough mechanics and enough money for the parts to repair these engines, the trucks, the ambulances."
He added that not only would more equipment have been helpful in fighting the two massive wildfires but that there were actually firefighters who reported but couldn’t get a ride up to help in the firefight.
“We had more members report to assist during those fires than we had spots for them. So easily, if we would have had an engine … if we could stack it with the minimum … tools and equipment that you need to address a fire with the staffing, absolutely you could go in and make a difference,” he said.
On Thursday morning, Councilmember Traci Park, who was also at the maintenance yard Thursday, told the reporter: “As a resident, as a taxpayer and as the councilmember for the district that is now home to our city’s largest disaster in history. It is incredibly frustrating to see all of these assets sitting out of service."
