Palisades fire protest sees furious chants of 'fire them all' during 'They Let Us Burn' march

PALISADES, CALIFORNIA: Recently, crowds packed the streets around Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.

They weren’t just out to remember the wildfire, one year after it devastated and tore through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in LA, killing more than 10 and destroying thousands of homes and businesses; they wanted answers.

People shouted, gave speeches, and didn’t hold back when blaming city and state leaders for what happened.

The rally, calling itself ‘They Let Us Burn,’ made it clear: people are still furious over the fire that wrecked homes, forced families out, and left deep wounds that haven’t healed.

Chants target city and state leaders

As demonstrators marched, chants of “Fire them all, fire them now” rang out, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.

The slogan captured the core message of the protest: a belief that political leadership, not just natural conditions, played a central role in the scale of the disaster.

Some survivors are unhappy that only a handful of the nearly 7,000 destroyed homes have been rebuilt, and the outraged residents say Mayor Karen Bass and city bureaucracy have failed them every step of the way.

Speaker Jeremy Padawer drew particularly strong reactions when he criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, prompting boos from attendees.

“Is anyone sick of her smiling?” he said.

He mocked official explanations that framed the fire as an act of nature... God, brush, too many plants, and rejected claims from Bass and Governor Newsom that the disaster had nothing to do with leadership choices.

Protesters shouted back that it was because of them. Speakers accused Bass and Newsom of standing by as the city burned, walking the area afterward without action. “It burned around them,” the crowd yelled.

Community comes together and demands answers

"It's been a year, and barely any changes have happened," she said. "We don't see these buildings as burned buildings. We grew up in this town. This is our home. This is our community," said Reese Trepanier to the NY Post. "Our hope is with all these people being here today, we won't be forgotten. We don't want Palisades to die.”

People said officials ignored all the warnings and just weren’t ready. Protesters talked about how, after the fire, leaders showed up, wandered through the wreckage, and then left, with no real help and no one taking responsibility.

Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva took the stage, saying the people responsible for handling the response were nowhere to be found. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said. “Every single one of them could have been prevented.”

"One person was responsible for evacuations in Los Angeles, and most people don’t even know that," Villanueva said. "It was the Sheriff of Los Angeles County. He was on vacation in Carlsbad while your mayor was on vacation or doing whatever."

As the crowd dispersed, organizers vowed to keep pressure on officials, saying the anniversary was not just about remembrance but about ensuring that the failures they believe led to the Palisades fire are not repeated.