Most of the more than 40 available engines could have been pre-deployed to fire zones before the Palisades blaze started, while others were kept at stations to help with the increase in 911 calls.

Los Angeles fire bosses opted not to deploy 1,000 available firefighters and more than 40 water-carrying engines until after one of the wildfires was burning out of control — even as extreme warnings were coming in about life-threatening winds,