Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has removed Kristin Crowley as the city’s fire chief and has appointed former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva to serve as interim chief.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass dismissed the city’s fire chief following her management of the devastating wildfire that tore through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood last month.Bass said she removed Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley from her position after the fire department chose not to position many of its firefighting resources ahead of the life-threatening windstorm that fueled the growth of wildfires in early January.

Mayor Karen Bass has removed Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin Crowley after weeks of a public rift. Bass has criticized Crowley for a lack of preparation and mishandling the city's wildfire response,