Text messages from Los Angeles firefighters reveal that crews on the ground warned their superiors that the New Year’s Day Lachman fire in Pacific Palisades was still smoldering, but were ordered to leave anyway. The messages, reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, show that firefighters complained about hot ground and smoking terrain the day after the blaze was declared contained. Those warnings went unheeded. Days later, strong winds reignited the embers into the inferno that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Firefighters’ private messages describe confusion and frustration at being told to pack up while the earth still burned beneath them. One wrote that it was a “bad idea” to leave the site unprotected and added, “The rest is history.” Another said tree stumps were still hot to the touch when hoses were rolled up. They knew, immediately after the Jan. 7 catastrophe began, that it was the same fire come back to life. The battalion chief in charge, Mario Garcia, has not commented.

Federal investigators later confirmed what firefighters suspected. The Palisades fire was a continuation of the earlier blaze, smoldering underground until it surfaced under fierce winds. Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva has insisted that the disaster was not caused by failed suppression but by an “undetectable holdover fire” that burned deep within root systems. Yet experts question that explanation. UCLA ecologist Lawren Sack said most roots exist within the top foot and a half of soil, not dozens of feet below ground. Former LAFD Battalion Chief Rick Crawford was blunter. “We’re talking about something that was just beneath the surface,” he said, arguing that the department simply failed to finish the job. “You can get into semantics, but the bottom line is whether the department used all of the tools available to put the Jan. 1 fire out. And it did not.”

Despite having thermal imaging cameras and drones capable of detecting underground heat, Villanueva acknowledged the department chose not to use them because of the fire’s size. He also claimed Los Angeles chaparral can extend 15 to 25 feet underground, an assertion that other scientists find implausible. The ATF, which arrested an arson suspect for setting the original fire, declined to answer questions about vegetation depth or ignition points.

Criticism of LAFD’s response has grown as residents demand accountability for the preventable tragedy. A Times investigation earlier this year found that city leaders, including Mayor Karen Bass and then-Chief Kristin Crowley, failed to pre-deploy firefighters and equipment ahead of the forecasted windstorm. Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes the Palisades, also did not request pre-deployment despite the warnings. Bass later demoted Crowley, who has since filed a legal claim alleging the mayor retaliated against her to protect her political image.

Veteran fire officers say standard practice after a wildfire is to monitor the burn area for days, especially before expected winds. “You don’t leave until you have 100% mop-up,” said former assistant chief Patrick Butler. “Fire can hide underground and reignite unexpectedly even weeks later.”