Los Angeles firefighter Scott Pike testified in a sworn deposition that he believed a brush fire burning in the hills above Pacific Palisades was not fully out before officials say it later reignited into a major blaze that killed 12 people and destroyed more than 17,000 homes and buildings. The deposition, taken as part of litigation filed by fire victims, was made public this week after city attorneys moved to keep it confidential for a month, according to the testimony released.
Pike, a firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Department, testified that on Jan. 2, 2025, he was sent to help with mop-up after a New Year’s Day brush fire. In the deposition, he said he told colleagues the ground was still hot, describing that the hose left behind after the earlier fire still posed a rekindling risk.
Pike told investigators that when he tried to assess the area, he could feel heat emanating from the ground and chose not to use his gloved hand because it was too hot. He said he kicked the spot with his boot to expose what he found and described “red hot” coals and hearing crackling.
In his testimony, Pike said he was working an overtime shift when he noticed the smoldering ground and mentioned it to other firefighters out in the field. He said the other firefighters did not treat it as a serious issue at the time, and he also told a supervisor that there were still hot spots, while stating it was not his job to challenge orders. “I felt like I got kind of blown off a little bit,” Pike said in the deposition, adding, “I saw something, I said something.”
Pike’s deposition also addressed firefighters’ practices during mop-up operations. He testified that typically, hose is left in the field when there is concern a fire could rekindle or if crews are watching for re-ignition.
The release of Pike’s testimony came through the lawsuit filed by victims of the Palisades fire. Alexander Robertson, an attorney for the fire victims, told reporters that he obtained a court order to depose a dozen firefighters tasked with mopping up the Jan. 1 fire, and that Pike was the only one who indicated officials had been warned the earlier blaze had not been fully extinguished when crews packed up and left the scene.
Robertson framed the case as an effort to hold the city accountable for alleged failures. He said the lawsuit centers on fire department failures and also includes allegations that the city’s water department failed to provide adequate water resources for firefighting. Pike’s account, in this depiction, supports the argument that the earlier fire lingered in a way that was not addressed before it reignited.
Other testimony in the same deposition materials described a different picture of the mop-up. Battalion Chief Martin Mullen testified that he responded on Jan. 1, 2025, and personally walked the perimeter of the burn area four times during the day using a process called “cold-trailing,” in which firefighters look for hot spots, ember cast and smoke or heat emanating from the ground. Mullen testified that he identified a hot spot earlier in the day and reported it to a captain, and he said that when he returned later, it was fully extinguished.
Mullen’s testimony differed on whether hot spots persisted. He said he did not find hot spots or issues during the other perimeter walks and that by the time he left the scene, the fire was “absolutely” extinguished, adding, “It was a great mop up they did because if they didn’t, I’d still be there.”
The Palisades-area wildfire that later reignited is being treated by authorities as connected to the New Year’s Day brush fire. Federal prosecutors have said the later blaze was a reignition and that the Jan. 1 fire was started by a man who lived in the area. Prosecutors charged Jonathan Rinderknecht in October; Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney said he is being used as a scapegoat for alleged failures by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Within the city’s own firefighting accountability efforts, officials said differences in the firefighters’ accounts are part of what makes further review necessary. An interim LA fire chief previously said root systems can allow fires to linger and reach depths of 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6.1 meters), making them undetectable by thermal imaging cameras. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore, appointed in October, said in an email that he is concerned about differences in the firefighters’ testimonies and that this underscores the need for an ongoing independent investigation, adding the department will cooperate.
Yusef Robb, an adviser to Mayor Karen Bass, said in an email that the revelations are alarming. Bass directed the fire department to commission an independent report on the handling of the New Year’s Day fire, Robb said, and he pointed to the mayor’s calls for transparency and accountability aimed at informing fire department reforms. Robertson, for the plaintiffs, said the deposition materials support what he characterized as a “cover-up” effort by the fire department and Bass’s office, adding, “We will hold them accountable.”