LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has picked a 30-year fire department veteran as the new fire chief months after the most destructive wildfire in the city’s history led to the ousting of the previous chief.

Bass announced Friday she was selecting Deputy Chief Jaime Moore to take the reins of the Los Angeles Fire Department after a nationwide search.

“I’m proud to appoint an Angeleno to this role, and I know that he will work to improve the LAFD for everyone in this city,” she said at a news conference.

The department has faced scrutiny over its response to the Palisades Fire, which began during heavy winds Jan. 7, destroying or damaging nearly 8,000 homes, businesses and other structures and killing at least 12 people in the affluent LA neighborhood.

Moore said he will w

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