The official non-profit for the Los Angeles fire department has acknowledged that it had paid $65,000 to hire a leading communications agency to represent the agency last year. The move came as the department was facing growing criticism over its handling of the Palisades fire. The Los Angeles Times revealed last week that the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, which raised significant sums after last year’s devastating fires, hired a “celebrity” public relations company to help “shape [its] messaging” following the disaster. “Due to the high volume of media requests, the department sought assistance from a communications firm to manage the workload,” Stephanie Bishop, the department’s public information director, told the Guardian. The latest development is likely to fuel further scrutiny of the department and the city, and its handling of the Palisades fire and the aftermath.