AdvertisementAt one ash pit, Pike said, “I didn’t even want to use my gloved hand because it was hot. So I just kicked it with my boot to kind of expose it, and there was, like red hot, like, coals ... that was still smoldering. A second firefighter was told that tree stumps were still hot when the crew packed up and left, according to the texts. LAFD officials were emphatic early on that the Lachman fire, which federal prosecutors believe was deliberately set, was fully extinguished. Moore added that he spoke with the battalion chief who was on duty during the Lachman fire mop-up.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 27, 2026 11:59 UTC