Things got briefly tense during a Thursday press conference with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) as a reporter questioned the “lack of preparation” for wildfires that have left at least five dead and thousands of homes destroyed.
Jonathan Vigliotti of CBS News noted at the press conference that he and his crew were at the Pacific Palisades fires when they started and there were hours before they saw a fire engine arrive. He also said there were no police or officials directing chaotic traffic as people evacuated the area.
After Bass said her priority at the moment is saving lives and homes, Vigliotti shot back, “But that did not happen.”
“Let me finish!” Bass said, reiterating that the focus is on saving structures and people, while also promising an “evaluation” to look at “what worked” and “what didn’t work.”
This is not the first time Bass has been challenged about the response to the fires. She was previously confronted by a reporter who asked if she owed an “apology” to residents, noting the mayor cut millions from the fire budget just months before the fires broke out and she was in Africa when they actually started.
Check out the exchange between Bass and Vigliotti below:
JONATHAN VIGILIOTTI: “Mayor, LA County is in a panic state. It began two days ago with the Palisades fire. My crew and I arrived shortly after it
started and for several hours, we watched as hundreds of homes in the neighborhood burned to the ground and we did not see a single fire engine. We watched as good samaritans guided traffic. There was fear and there was a lot of confusion. You were out of the country at the time. Shortly after the fire started, a press release was put out warning of this fire behavior. My question to you is what explains this lack of preparation and rapid response?”KAREN BASS: “Let me just say first and foremost my number one focus and the focus of all of us here with one voice is that we have to protect lives, we have to save lives and we have to save homes. Rest assured that —”VIGILIOTTI: “But that didn’t happen.”BASS: “Rest assured! Let me finish! Rest assured, when that is done, when we are safe, and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn’t work, and to correct or to hold accountable anybody, department, individual, etc. But my focus right now is on the lives and on the homes.”VIGILIOTTI: “Do you think your leadership was effective while responding to this disaster?”BASS: “I just said what I believe is the most important thing for us to do right now. And that is going to continue to be my focus. Thank you.”
Watch above via Fox News.