Scott Pike’s testimony by fire

Scott Pike’s deposition ignited a needless firestorm that would destroy LA’s and California’s defense against the Palisades Fire victims in court.

Pike, a 23-year veteran of the LA Fire Department, testified that he saw evidence that the previous Lachman Fire on January 1 was still burning the next day – as firefighters were ordered to leave the site.

Just a few days later, on Jan. 7, strong winds blew what had been the Lachman Fire into what became the Palisades Fire, and a national disaster.

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

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

He testified that he warned his captain – who did nothing.

“It worries me that no one listened to me,” he said.

It’s hard on everyone – and it should always be very hard on the shoulders of Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

City attorneys tried to keep Pike’s testimony confidential, along with the testimony of 11 other firefighters.

One of them was Tom Kitahata, who said the burn scar of the Lachman fire was on provincial land. Some firefighters also said that state officials told them that they would monitor the area.

The state denies that, and says firefighting is entirely LA’s responsibility.

But as the California Post reported last year, California State Parks had recently adopted a policy banning firefighters from “Avoidance Areas” on state land.

Those areas include areas suspected to have given rise to plant species, or archaeological sites.

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

All of this comes to light in the wake of the fire — after state, city and fire officials told the public they did everything they could to prevent and contain the disaster.

The truth is coming out – from documents and depositions from private lawsuits, and from investigative journalism.

But it’s not from city and state leaders, whose main concern is avoiding blame.

That’s why Bass’ office drafted the weak LAFD after-action report. That’s why Newsom doesn’t bother showing up in Pacific Palisades.

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If they had been honest in the first place, they would have kept the trust of the residents in the fire areas.

Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) launched an investigation into the Palisades Fire, and for good reason: Local officials 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 better if Bass, Newsom, and other officials had told the truth from the start — and accepted responsibility for their mistakes.

Because whether you like it or not, the truth will eventually come out.

And Scott Pike’s truth may force LA and California to admit a mistake.