CHIEF’S HEARTACHE
Heartbreaking moment LA firefighter boss breaks down in tears in burned ruins after warning about threat for YEARS
A terrifying map has shown the extent of these deadly fires
THIS is the heartbreaking moment a LA firefighter chief broke down in tears on live TV after he warned about the threat of a deadly blaze for years.
Freddy Escobar - a 35 year veteran of the department - blamed a lack of money and resources as he stood among charred rubble and remains.
9
9
9
9
The Los Angeles United Firefighters president broke down as he revealed he sent warning messages before the deadly inferno broke out.
Escobar's ominous words, from a commissioners meeting a month ago, were recalled to him buy CNN journalist Kyung Lah.
At the meeting, Escobar said: "It's dire, someone will die."
The fire chief told the CNN journalist: "It's eerie listening to your words because that's what occurred."
read more on the la fires
"So, it's - let me just take a minute, sorry. You're not supposed to make me cry."
Escobar choked up before he emotionally turned away from the cameras to cry.
He then said: "This is a woefully understaffed fire department.
"We're either going to have a fire department that reflects 2025, or we're going to have a fire department that's going to reflect the 1960s."
Most read in The US Sun
This heartbreaking interview came after it came out that the LA Fire Department refused to deploy 1,000 firefighters ahead of the inferno that tore down the Palisades area.
Officials reportedly decided to staff just of the more than 40 engines available to them on Tuesday January 7, according to the .
Oscars could be cancelled because of LA wildfires
Bosses chose not to keep firefighters on duty for a second shift on the day the devastating inferno began.
The department reportedly only started to call it's firefighters back after the Palisades wildfire had started to burn out of control.
When the blaze broke out at 10:30am on Tuesday, the damning report claimed no extra engines were deployed to the area.
Millions of dollars worth of rescue equipment has sat unused as the department reportedly cannot afford to hire mechanics to fix them.
The Palisades fire has now been raging for over a week as more than 23,000 acres of land has been burnt up by it.
Escobar has not been the only person to raise concerns about potential fires before the deadly blaze erupted.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley stated last year that the department's levels were half the size they should have been, based on National Fire Protection Association standards, per CNN.
Money had become an increasingly difficult issue as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass slashed the department's budget by $17.6 last year, according to the .
What started the LA fires?
FIERCE and desperate questions into how these devestating wildfires could have ripped through Los Angeles to this extent have been raised.
extent have been raised.
These terrifying blazes started on Tuesday morning in the ultra-wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
It is feared this deadly inferno could have been sparked by fireworks.
A small blaze caused by fireworks on New Year's Day left scorch marks, according to .
Analysis of satellite images, radio communications, and videos revealed the deadly inferno began in an area close to where these fireworks flames were put out.
Residents claimed they were frustrated by an apparent slower response by firefighters to the second blaze.
Local Michael Valentine said he and his wife were home for both fires and claimed he was met with a long wait when they called the emergency services on Tuesday.
Crews were reportedly stuck dealing with two other incidents in different areas of the city.
Experts have claimed the perfect mix of strong winds and drought conditions could have caused the slight remnants of the previous fires to restart.
Investigators have launched a probe to investigate the cause of the devastating blaze but they have not revealed an official cause yet.
Hurricane-force winds and peak dryness allowed the fires to burst into a deadly and uncontrollable inferno.
A trail of destruction was left behind in the celebrity-packed neighborhood.
Major stars like Paris Hilton and Anthony Hopkins lost their mansions in the blaze.
WIDESPREAD DISASTER
The Pacific Palisades has not been the only part of LA to be destroyed by these horrifying fires.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
9
9
9
Blazes also ignited in Hurst, Eaton, Kenneth, Lidia and Sunset.
The Eaton and Hurst fires are still going and the Palisades Fire is only 14 per cent contained.
9
9
Topics