LOS ANGELES — Six weeks after the start of the most destructive wildfire in city history, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousted the fire chief Friday amid a public rift over preparations for a potential blaze and finger-pointing between the chief and City Hall over responsibility for the devastation.

Bass, a first-term Democrat, said she is removing Chief Kristin Crowley immediately.

“Bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what our city needs,” the mayor said in a statement.

While Bass initially praised Crowley in the early hours of firefighting, she said she later learned an additional 1,000 firefighters could have been deployed the day the blaze ignited. Additionally, she said Crowley rebuffed a request to prepare a report on the fires that is a critical part of investigations into what happened and why.

“We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch,” Bass said.

The Palisades Fire 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. Another wind-whipped fire started the same day in suburban Altadena, a community to the east, killing at least 17 people and destroying or damaging more than 10,000 homes and other buildings.

Bass has been facing criticism for being in Africa as part of a presidential delegation on the day the fire started, even though weather reports had warned of dangerous wind and wildfire conditions in the days before she left.

Speaking at City Hall, Bass said Crowley never notified her of the looming danger before she departed, even though that was standard practice since she took office in December 2022.

“She has my cellphone. She knows she can call me 24/7,” Bass said. “That did not happen this time.”

The Los Angeles Fire Department said it had no comment about the ousting of the chief.

Crowley was named fire chief in 2022 by Bass’ predecessor at a time when the department was in turmoil over allegations of rampant harassment, hazing and discrimination. She worked for the city fire department for more than 25 years and held nearly every role, including fire marshal, engineer and battalion chief.

Her dismissal followed weeks of growing distance between the mayor and Crowley. As chief, Crowley publicly criticized the city for budget cuts that she said made it harder for firefighters to do their jobs. In January, when the Palisades fire was out of control, Crowley said in televised interviews that her department was underfunded and understaffed and emergency vehicles had been idled because the LAFD didn’t have the mechanics to fix them.

Bass said Friday that the budget was increased, not slashed.

Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, who was defeated by Bass in the 2022 election and has been critical of her wildfire management, called Crowley’s dismissal “very disappointing.”

The chief “spoke honestly about the severe and profoundly ill-conceived budget cuts the Bass administration made to the LAFD,” Caruso said in a post on the social platform X. “Honesty in a high city official should not be a firing offense.”

Bass’ handling of the Palisades fire and the vast rebuilding job will be the measure of her tenure. She has said that she intends to seek reelection in 2026.

Bass, a former legislator and member of Congress who was on former President Joe Biden’s vice presidential short list, is known for an understated, coalition-building style. Her leadership is being tested as the cleanup and recovery get underway involving the Trump administration, the state, Los Angeles County, the city and other municipalities damaged in the fires, along with an array of government agencies and private interests.