Fire chiefs fault local leadership as US Senate probes Palisade fire

Emergency response leaders told U.S. senators this week that failures by local leadership, not firefighters on the ground, set the stage for the devastating Palisades fire, as Republicans used a Senate hearing to renew criticism of California officials a day after President Trump signed an executive order seeking to override state and local authority in the rebuilding process.

Testifying Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s permanent subcommittee on investigations,...