As firefighters continue to battle raging fires across Los Angeles County, a cut to the Los Angeles Fire Department 2025 budget and its commitment to recruiting a more diverse force have come under attack.

Amidst confusion around budget cuts affecting the Los Angeles Fire Department while thousands of firefighters are battling at least five wildfires, ABC News dug into the city budgets and other publicly available documents for the city.

The city of Los Angeles, a region frequently threatened by wildfires, faced an unprecedented crisis in 2024. As multiple wildfires devastated communities, attention turned to Mayor Karen Bass’s decision to reduce funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) while significantly increasing the budget for homelessness initiatives.