Week In Review

The decision to carry on with a grand holiday fireworks display last week at the Americana at Brand as thousands of residents throughout the Southland fled out-of-control fires elicited a strong rebuke this week from residents and City Council members, who called the move “dumb-headed” and “ill-advised.”

In the days following the Nov. 15 fireworks show, residents called and e-mailed city officials and the media to complain about the public safety implications of allowing the display amid smoke-filled air, and the insensitivity they said it showed to those who lost everything in what officials called the most devastating fire disaster to have hit the Los Angeles region.

Most on the dais Tuesday said they were unaware of the planned fireworks until the day of the event, and even then, they were unsure of how grandiose the 15-minute display would be.

While some on the City Council conceded that the raging fires could not have been forecast, they said the fireworks should have been canceled.

The council called for a report on establishing a policy in which it would play a greater role in permitting fireworks at the Americana. Similar community outcry arose in May when the Americana hosted fireworks for its grand opening.

Mayor John Drayman also took issue with the event drawing upon firefighting resources at time when multiple red flag warnings had been issue for the greater Glendale area.

Fire Chief Harold Scoggins insisted that the fireworks posed no danger to the surrounding area, and that the event did not receive any special treatment beyond what any other major gatherings would receive in the city.

He acknowledged that the decision to approve the special permit was “a bad decision” given the subsequent political fallout and community reaction, but also pointed to the 22 Glendale firefighters who have been deployed to all three major fires in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange counties since Thursday.

All city fire stations were also fully staffed and “ready to go,” he said.

A Caruso Affiliated spokeswoman said the Americana development firm would “never do anything to put our community at risk,” adding that the fireworks display had been planned for months and was closely monitored by the Fire Department.