Los Angeles firefighters were ordered to stop putting out a small brush fire that would eventually turn into the horrific Palisades blaze that killed a dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes, according to a report.

A battalion chief told the crew to roll up their hoses and ditch the smoldering area Jan. 2, even as the firefighters complained that the rocks and ground were still hot to the touch, shocking text messages viewed by the Los Angeles Times showed.

“And the rest is history,” wrote a firefighter, who initially warned the boss that leaving the smoldering site would be a “bad idea,” in a text exchange with colleagues.

Earlier this month, interim LAFD Chief Ronnie Villanueva said in a statement that the Palisades fire was “not a rekindle or due to failed suppression but

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