Scott Pike’s testimony sets city, state legal case on fire

Scott Pike’s deposition lit a rhetorical fire that will destroy LA’s and California’s defense against Palisades Fire victims in court.

Pike, a 23-year veteran of the LA Fire Department, testified that he saw evidence that the Lachman Fire last Jan. 1 was still burning the following day — as firefighters were ordered to abandon the site.

Just a few days later, on Jan. 7, high winds fanned what had been the Lachman Fire into what became the Palisades Fire, and a national tragedy.

Pike told lawyers for the two sides that he saw “red hot like coals” that were “still smoldering.”

Scott Pike’s deposition lit a rhetorical fire that will destroy LA’s and California’s defense against Palisades Fire victims in court. YOUTUBE/ABC7

He saw five areas that were still smoking. He found an ash pit that was too hot to touch — even with his glove on. 

He testified that he alerted his captain — who did nothing.

“It kind of sits heavy on me that no one listened to me,” he said.

It sits heavy on everyone — and it should sit heaviest on the shoulders of Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Lawyers for the city tried to keep Pike’s testimony secret, along with the testimony of 11 other firefighters.

One of them was Tom Kitahata, who said that the burn scar from the Lachman Fire was on state land. Other firefighters also said that state officials told them they would monitor the site.

The state denies that, and claims that firefighting is strictly LA’s responsibility.

But as The California Post reported last year, California State Parks had just adopted a policy restricting firefighting in “Avoidance Areas” on state land.

Those areas include spots suspected to have engendered plant species, or archeological sites.

According to a California State Parks document, “No mop-up techniques are allowed in avoidance areas without the presence of an archaeologist.”

Getty Images

All of this is emerging long after the fire — after state, city, and fire officials told the public that they had done everything possible to prevent and to stop the disaster.

The truth is trickling out — in documents and depositions from private lawsuits, and through investigative journalism. 

But it is not coming from city and state leaders, whose primary concern has been avoiding blame.

That is why Bass’ office edited the LAFD’s weak after-action report. That is why Newsom barely bothers to show up in Pacific Palisades.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

If they had just been honest from the start, they would have retained the trust of residents in fire zones. 

Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) have launched an investigation of the Palisades Fire, and for good reason: Local officials have misled the public.

We need transparency if the communities affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires are to rebuild as quickly as possible. 

Honesty is always the best policy. It would have been best for Bass, Newsom, and other officials to tell the truth from the start — and to accept responsibility for their mistakes.

Because like it or not, the truth will eventually emerge.

And Scott Pike’s truth might just force LA and California to admit fault.