Contained in the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, Mayor Karen Bass was attending a reception with native and international dignitaries as her cellphone started to ping.

The primary pressing message got here from her deputy chief of employees, Celine Cordero.

It was 6:48 p.m. on Jan. 7 within the African nation and simply earlier than 11 a.m. on what would change into a catastrophic day in Los Angeles.

“On cellphone with Chief Crowley now,” Cordero wrote from L.A., referencing then-Fire Chief Kristin Crowley in a bunch chat that included Bass and two of her closest aides, communications deputy mayor Zach Seidl and chief of employees Carolyn Webb de Macías. “2 important fires in metropolis now. She’s going to name you mayor.”

Bass was greater than 7,500 miles away and had attended the inauguration of the Ghanaian president earlier that day as a part of a Biden administration delegation.

She was set to depart Accra, the Ghanaian capital, in hours, simply after the embassy cocktail party ended.

At house in Los Angeles, the winds have been vicious.

A hearth had ignited excessive within the hills of Pacific Palisades, and smoke was massing over the bone-dry ridgeline. Inside hours, flames would ravage the prosperous coastal neighborhood, ultimately killing 12 folks and destroying hundreds of houses.

Cordero warned of “potential evacuations,” with 40 mile-per-hour winds and “100 acres affected within the subsequent 20 min.”

Again within the diplomatic compound, Bass — clad in a purple gown and matching sneakers — leaned in and smiled as she conversed with former German president Christian Wulff, a second captured in a photograph posted on social media.

Bass spent a lot of the occasion in a separate room making calls, her employees has stated. Shortly earlier than posing for a photograph with a metropolis staffer and an area DJ, Bass acquired one other pressing textual content from Cordero. This time, Cordero included a wider group of senior mayoral aides.

“Palisades hearth is now at 200 acres,” she wrote, noting that an evacuation order would quickly exit.

Bass’ textual content messages from Jan. 7 and Jan. 8, throughout her final hours in Ghana and an anxious journey house, supply a vivid glimpse into how she led from afar throughout a defining chapter in Los Angeles historical past. Her dealing with of the hearth and its aftermath will form her prospects for reelection — and her legacy.

The Democratic chief of the nation’s second-largest metropolis has fended off stinging critiques about her preliminary absence in addition to her faltering management throughout the disaster. Bass removed Crowley as fire chief on Feb. 21, and her relations with some other leaders have been publicly strained.

The Instances obtained the messages by means of a public data request filed on Jan. 10. Practically two months later, the mayor’s workplace stated there have been “no responsive data,” later clarifying that Bass’ messages were set to auto-delete each 30 days.

The mayor’s workplace finally stated they have been capable of recuperate the deleted messages utilizing “specialised expertise” and on Friday supplied about 125 messages, noting that an unspecified variety of extra messages have been “redacted and/or withheld” primarily based on exemptions to the California Public Data Act.

The messages to and from the mayor illustrate how Bass communicated together with her employees and throughout ranges of presidency, attempting to marshal federal sources because the conflagration exploded into what turned one of many costliest pure disasters in U.S. historical past.

In addition they present an Angeleno determined to get house because the disaster on the bottom worsened.

The next chronology relies on the textual content messages, an itinerary obtained by means of a public data request and flight data from FlightAware and Flightradar24. It’s only a partial account of the mayor’s dealings, because it doesn’t embody her emails or cellphone calls.

Between 8 p.m. and eight:15 p.m., the Biden delegation — together with Bass and Ambyr Burrus, the Los Angeles Police Division officer touring together with her — crowded into official autos and drove to Kotoka Worldwide Airport, the place a army jet was ready for them.

Cordero was tasked with overseeing public security within the absence of deputy mayor Brian Williams, who has been on leave since December as a part of an investigation into whether or not he made a bomb menace in opposition to Metropolis Corridor.

Her subsequent textual content got here at 8:07 p.m., or simply after 1 p.m. Los Angeles time.

“Crowley stated houses will likely be misplaced quickly,” Cordero wrote, noting that Gov. Gavin Newsom could be at a command put up in just a few hours, whereas she would meet with Crowley on the metropolis’s Emergency Operations Middle.

“Name me Zach instantly,” Bass wrote 20 minutes later.

Within the mad rush to flee the flames, droves of residents had abandoned their cars in an immovable traffic jam on Palisades Drive. A radio reporter reached out to Bass, attempting to get her to hitch him on the air, as her airplane ready to take off.

For the following 4 hours, the Gulfstream jet cruised northwest above western Africa and the Atlantic Ocean towards the small archipelago of Cabo Verde.

Bass repeatedly reminded her employees that she may make calls from the army flight.

“I’ve cellphone entry on the airplane!!! In the event you see a wierd quantity it’s ME! 301 it’ll present as a army Base,” Bass texted the group at 9:48 p.m. Ghana time.

A couple of minutes later, Cordero addressed Bass within the group textual content, asking for permission to place collectively a gathering of the town’s basic managers.

“It will be nice to drag collectively a GM name and have you ever be part of. Stress urgency, significance of all palms on deck?” Cordero stated.

An hour and a half later, Bass seemed to be on a name or Zoom together with her staffers, writing, “I’m listening don’t know why you’ll be able to’t inform me.”

“Hear me!” she corrected herself.

“Oh no! Okay. No we are able to’t hear you,” Cordero responded.

Again in L.A., Crowley, Newsom, Metropolis Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and different native leaders braved the winds for a hastily assembled news conference at Will Rogers State Seashore. With Bass in another country, Harris-Dawson was serving as performing mayor.

The worst may very well be but to come back, officers warned.

Bass and the remainder of the Biden delegation remained on board because the airplane stopped for roughly 40 minutes to refuel in Cabo Verde, then took off for the eight-hour flight to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Simply after 1 a.m. Ghana time — or 5 p.m. Los Angeles time — Bass’ director of scheduling Yvette Rojas despatched her a hyperlink to a Zoom titled “GM assembly – Fires.”

“Mayor, undecided in the event you have been capable of land,” Rojas wrote. “Sending this into the occasion you’re nonetheless capable of be part of.” Bass referred to as into the final managers’ assembly from the airplane, her workplace stated.

5 minutes later, Bass’ government assistant Pamela Brown texted that she had managed to get reside CNN working so the mayor may stream it.

Because the airplane crossed the Atlantic Ocean within the inky darkness and nightfall started to fall over Los Angeles, Bass’ cellphone continued to buzz.

“The fires are simply terrible. Please let me know no matter I can do to assist,” U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff — Bass’ former colleague within the Home — wrote simply after 2:30 a.m., Ghana time.

“Thanks a lot I’m truly within the air headed house from Ghana I feel I discussed I attended the Inauguration I’m following it whereas I make my method house however I do know catastrophe help will likely be wanted particularly given the challenges with home-owner insurance coverage on this particular neighborhood — land within the am and I want to be in contact by late afternoon after l’ve had an opportunity to see what is occurring,” Bass responded at 3 a.m. Ghana time.

Schiff’s fellow California senator, Alex Padilla, reached out to Bass a couple of minutes later.

“Karen, I [imagine] you’re extremely busy in the meanwhile. Simply need to verify in. My employees is in contact with OES, CalFIRE, and different emergency personnel. Tell us how we are able to help,” Padilla wrote.

“Thanks Alex I’m truly on a airplane speeding again from Africa I needs to be on the town by midday tomorrow. Thanks 1,000,000 I’ll need to name you in a day or so I do know we’ll want help. Thanks once more,” Bass responded at 3:49 a.m.

Dan Koh, Biden’s deputy director of the White Home Workplace of Intergovernmental Affairs, was the following federal chief to succeed in out providing help. He was one in every of a number of senior White Home staffers who texted with Bass as she cruised towards the East Coast.

In the meantime, situations have been worsening in Los Angeles.

“All plane grounded because of wind and visibility … A number of civilian victims injured (# TBD),” Cordero wrote at 5:27 a.m. Ghana time, or simply earlier than 9:30 p.m. in Los Angeles.

Bass responded to Koh shortly after, writing: “Thanks a lot for asking I’m on the airplane headed again to DC and LA … and YES we’ll need assistance can we converse in just a few hours when I’ve a greater deal with on issues.”

Simply earlier than 10 p.m. L.A. time, or 6 a.m. Ghana time, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger texted Bass: “Making an attempt to coordinate all sources for press convention in am. And I’m sorry you needed to return house to this horrific state of affairs,” Barger wrote with a concerned-face emoji.

“Precisely thanks and what worse is I’m within the air headed again from Ghana received’t be house till 11 am thanks for being on prime of this,” Bass responded.

“Fireplace is now in Altadena … so requesting one press convention positioned downtown. Please have secure travels,” Barger, who represents the realm that will be devastated by the Eaton hearth, stated with a prayer palms emoji.

Bass thanked her and checked to ensure Barger was getting full cooperation from Bass’ “of us.”

“Completely…. Metropolis has been unbelievable,” Barger responded.

Inside minutes, Cordero dropped a disastrous new replace from the LAFD into Bass’ group textual content.

Winds had “elevated considerably, with gusts within the Palisades above 70 miles an hour. Fireplace division is basically in life-saving mode, and buildings are a secondary concern at this level.”

4 hours later — at round 5:20 a.m. Maryland time on Jan. 8 — Bass landed at Joint Base Andrews.

She and Burrys, the police officer touring together with her, hopped in a automotive supplied by the White Home and made the 45-mile trek to Dulles Worldwide Airport.

At Dulles, she boarded United Airways flight 667 — a industrial flight, which meant she wouldn’t be capable of converse on the cellphone and could be restricted to in-flight WiFi. The airplane left the gate at 8:42 a.m. EST and took off simply earlier than 9:15 a.m.

Practically an hour into the flight, Bass acquired a prolonged message from L.A. Division of Water and Energy chief Janisse Quiñones.

Quiñones apologized for lacking Bass’ name and informed the mayor that DWP hadn’t proactively shut off water in nearby Brentwood, which might have doubtlessly allowed for greater water strain on the entrance strains of the hearth, “as a result of the hearth jumped to the realm as we have been contemplating doing so they usually wanted water there.”

However, she stated, they have been capable of open refill stations for hearth engines and had despatched all their water vans to the Palisades.

Bass stated that was nice information.

In fast succession, Bass’ cellphone pinged with messages from a number of senior Biden advisors.

As with Quiñones, she informed every of them that she was on her method house and could be touchdown in just some hours.

“Nice,” Annie Tomasini, Biden’s deputy chief of employees, responded. “We’re leaving LA this morning however let’s keep in contact the following couple hours in the event you want something. You’re in our ideas, particularly President Biden’s.”

“Thanks a lot and PLEASE let the President know the way a lot I admire him and his management,” Bass informed Tomasini.

In Los Angeles, the solar was rising over neighborhoods brutalized by flames. Smoke lent synthetic darkness and a filmy high quality to the sunshine in areas removed from the conflagration.

At 9:30 a.m. L.A. time, with two extra hours left within the flight, the mayor heard from her deputy chief of employees, Solomon Rivera.

“AEG referred to as, contemplating cancelling Kings sport tonite. Looks as if we should always encourage all giant gatherings cancelled,” Rivera wrote. Bass agreed.

Simply after 10 a.m. L.A. time, Bass texted L.A. Unified Faculty District Supt. Alberto Carvalho, who was contending with major damage to his campuses.

“How are you doing? I’m nonetheless within the air land at lax shortly hopefully within the subsequent 2 hours-so so sorry about Palisades HS can’t imagine it!!! Some other colleges at risk? Are you closing any colleges out of precaution? Unbelievable!” Bass wrote.

Ten minutes later, Carvalho responded: “Hiya mayor. We’re okay. The sudden change in a single day was tough however we managed.”

A half hour later, Bass’ flight landed at Los Angeles Worldwide Airport, probably navigating by means of heavy plumes of smoke earlier than arriving on the gate at 11:24 a.m.

By that time, Bass had been touring for practically 24 hours.

Simply after she emerged from the airplane, she was cornered by a Sky News reporter, David Blevins, who occurred to be on her flight.

She stared forward blankly for practically a minute as Blevins peppered her with slicing questions on whether or not she wanted to apologize to Angelenos for being in Africa.

She didn’t reply.

Instances employees author Laura Nelson contributed to this report.