Flames, firestorms, and abject failure are the clear and
present themes throughout CBS News correspondent Jonathan
Vigliotti’s latest book, Torched.
Not just burned-out buildings and streets, not just charred
lives and legacies, but burned credibility, flamed-out political careers, and
the fake veneer of competence—which the Los Angeles City and County governments
were supposed to provide Pacific Palisades—are on full, necessary display in
his work.
For the worst mass fire in Los Angeles history, Vigliotti
documents the before, during, and after that led to it all.
I was burned in mind and spirit after reading his excellent
report, which starts with the rich history of the Pacific Palisades, from its
early religious founding. Then he weaves together resonant stories of community
and continuity, all the more deepening the justified outrage with the massive
incompetence and unaccountability that ignited the historic conflagration of
the Palisades.
At the outset, Vigliotti writes about local weather managers
and surveyors, as well as meteorologists who repeatedly warned any city leaders
who would listen. The city should have announced Red Flag warnings by New Year's
Eve 2024, going into New Year's week 2025. Their warnings abounded as they plotted
the rising Santa Ana winds, the low humidity, and the dry factors that would
unleash unprecedented fiery carnage on Los Angeles.
Yet no one listened. How was this possible?
How could January 7th, 2025, have happened? After
reading the book, the reader is left asking: “How could this NOT have
happened?!”
Vigliotti was in the eye of the storm, reporting on the
horrific fires that engulfed the once-unassailable Pacific Palisades.
His accurate and emotional reporting explores the wreckage
of the recent past, including in painstaking detail (literally and
figuratively) the failures, fallouts, and follies of the politicians tasked
with keeping Los Angeles safe.
Reading this book, I got the eyewitness view of this
massive, tragic conflagration inside and out, when most of Los Angeles was
uninformed of the dangers then, and the full scope of failure up to now.
Through Torched, Vigliotti features the endearing
stories of many survivors, like Raymond and Mandy Church, who took over the
plumbing business from Hercules (Herk) and Annette Rossilli. This couple maintained
their friendship with widow Annette Rossilini until the very end. When the
flames began ravaging the Palisades, Annette
wouldn’t leave her home. Vigliotti reports that many elders resist emergency
evacuation orders in the face of firestorms. They have already lost family, and
the remains of their life are enshrined in their homes. They leave that, and
the home goes up in flames. What else do they have? With all of this in the
background, Vigliotti reflects on Annette’s decision to stay behind and protect
her pets, since she was banking on the (ultimately dashed) hope that the
Palisades flames would not destroy her home.
She would not survive.
In another moving account, Vigliotti retells the final
heroism of 32-year-old Rory Sykes, a former child star and motivational speaker
born blind with cerebral palsy. This young man and his mother were caught off
guard by the fire—again, due to multiple failures from the poorly manned and
poorly planned Los Angeles emergency response. The son could not get into his
wheelchair in time as the fires began destroying their home. He told his
mother, “You can’t save me. Save yourself.” To the very end, Rory put the needs
of others first. Throughout Torched, Vigliotti restores new life and
attention to Rory and other heroes in the Palisades fire, all too easily
forgotten in the midst of anger and demands for accountability. Even the writer
rescued three pets from another home. Not grandstanding, Vigliotti simply
relates that there were many small moments of successful heroism despite the
epic failures of the city leader during the ferocious blaze that engulfed the
Palisades.
In the midst of the whole fiasco-inferno, Vigliotti
justifiably indicates former LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley. Even before
reading the book, I recognized that Crowley had encountered system failures: no
water, not enough crew support, not enough funding, terrible communication networks,
an absent mayor, and an unaware interim mayor. Yet in the face of such
monstrous obstacles, Crowley and crew did their best to stop the fire and save
lives. To his credit, Vigliotti also informs readers about her efforts and
heroism to save lives and homes during the 2018 Woolsey fire. Then and now,
Crowley displayed calm under fire (figuratively and literally).
In contrast to well-deserved vindication, Vigliotti targets
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass with the greatest condemnation. Without providing
proper notice or notes to her team or executive departments, Bass traveled to
the West African nation of Ghana for the celebrated inauguration of the
country’s new president. She failed to appoint key emergency managers in her
absence. The Deputy Mayor, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, didn’t inform LA leaders
that he was acting mayor until late in the crisis. He didn’t even know Bass’
whereabouts!
Vigliotti traces in minute detail Bass’s out-of-touch fumbling,
from incoherent social media to her distracting itinerary in Ghana, including
attendance at official functions, and her perfunctory connection with city
leaders when the Palisades fires erupted.
Despite his great reporting, there are two criticisms I must
report. Vigliotti wants to spread the blame to all parties, including incoming
President-elect Trump, as well as Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass. Included in
his involved timeline of the fire’s escalation and destruction, he faults
President(-elect) Trump with wanting to expedite recovery in the region. Such a
reaction seems understandable for an incoming Commander-in-Chief. Trump has no
role in the Palisades fires. And what about Biden? Vigliotti points out that
President Biden and Governor Newsom cancelled a ceremony in the Palm Springs
area before announcing the creation of two new monuments. Why? Inclement
weather. Why didn’t Biden take more direct action, regardless of the local
response? Bass deferred requesting support because she didn’t know the extent
of what was happening.
As he accurately reports, Mayor Bass deserves the bulk of
the blame for the Palisades disaster. Vigliotti details how she failed as chief
executive, neglecting her crucial role of signaling, directing, and supervising
all emergency resources to secure and safeguard the city. There’s no need or
reason to implicate Trump.
Part of his title includes “the Rush to rebuild Olympic
L.A.” Vigliotti stresses the danger of political haste from LA and California
leaders to rebuild. That contentious subject diverts from the fire itself. Vigliotti
should have expounded on the Olympics angle—with all of its political
machinations—in another book. His reporting on the causes and outcomes of the
worst fire in Los Angeles’ history was subject matter enough, and a wide-ranging
account that will engage any reader.
On a different note, I appreciate his contrast between the
massive failures of the public fire systems and the effective, efficient, and
successful private firefighters employed by Rick Caruso. Whether intended or
not, Vigliotti shows how free enterprise provides more effective relief in
difficult times.
Vigliotti’s Torched provides on-the-ground and
overarching reporting, giving the reader a broad array of viewpoints to
understand what happened, why, and how the powers that be have not learned from
Los Angeles’s latest failure, with hope that the next disaster doesn’t engulf
more homes and lives.
