THE SMOKING GUN: Secret ‘Let It Burn’ Policy Exposed in Aftermath of LA Wildfire Disaster

LOS ANGELES, CA — One year after a catastrophic wildfire tore through Los Angeles County, a devastating “smoking gun” has been uncovered, suggesting that the destruction of thousands of homes was not just an act of nature, but the result of a deliberate and secretive state policy.

Newly unearthed documents from private lawsuits reveal that California state authorities operated under a “let it burn” mandate that prioritized environmental preservation and cultural resources over the lives and property of residents.

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1. The Policy of Neglect: “Let State Parks Burn”

The centerpiece of the scandal is a passage found within the Wildland Management Plan issued by California State Parks. The directive explicitly states: “Unless specified otherwise, State Parks’ preference is to let State Parks burn in a wildfire event.”.

According to investigative journalist Joel Pollak, who lost his own home in the blaze, this policy prevented firefighters from using heavy suppression equipment in “sensitive areas” during the critical early hours of the fire.

Archaeologists over Firefighters: In some instances, fire crews were prohibited from suppressing flames in state parks adjacent to residential neighborhoods unless an archaeologist was physically present to authorize where water and equipment could be used.

The “Natural Process” Fallacy: Officials defended the policy by claiming fire is a “natural process,” ignoring the fact that these parks border high-density human communities.

2. The Lockman Fire: A Six-Day Warning Ignored

Evidence shows the disaster could have been prevented nearly a week before the main inferno began. On January 1, 2025, a small blaze known as the Lockman Fire broke out. While the Fire Department claimed it was extinguished, drone footage now shows the area was still smoldering days later.

Despite a Red Flag fire weather watch issued on January 3rd, state officials failed to send engines to douse the smoldering hotspots. Residents had reported seeing smoke in the six days leading up to the disaster, yet the state took no action, knowing the risk of reignition in high winds was extreme.

3. Leadership in Absentia: Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom

As the wildfire began its deadly march across the county, Los Angeles’ top leadership was nowhere to be found.

The Ghana Trip: Despite receiving a Fire Weather Watch notice on January 3rd, Mayor Karen Bass traveled to Ghana for a presidential inauguration. She did not return to Los Angeles until January 8th, after the fire had already grown six times its initial size and decimated neighborhoods.

The Newsom Confrontation: Governor Gavin Newsom has faced intense backlash after a viral video showed him appearing to lie to a mother who had lost her daughter’s school to the flames. Newsom claimed to be on the phone with the President to secure aid, but when the mother asked to hear the call, he claimed the signal had dropped—despite there being no cell service in the area to begin with.

4. “They Let Us Burn”: The Community Revolts

The discovery of the “Let It Burn” policy has sparked a movement in Pacific Palisades under the slogan “They Let Us Burn”. Residents are outraged that while they were forced to fight fires with buckets of water because local pipes had run dry, the state was actively preventing heavy equipment from entering the parks to create fire breaks.

Critics point out that the policy is not only a human tragedy but an environmental one. By allowing small fires to turn into massive infernos, the state effectively destroyed the very “rare plants” and “cultural resources” the policy was designed to protect, while releasing massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

5. The Fight for Accountability

With over 500 structures destroyed and the recovery still in its early stages, the call for transparency is growing. The launch of the California Post on January 26th aims to provide a platform for hard-hitting journalism to hold state politicians accountable for these failures.

“It’s not about Democrats versus Republicans,” says Pollak. “It is about accountability. There has been none thus far.”.