The fire truck pulled up to a checkpoint Saturday morning near where emergency workers were sifting through the wreckage caused by the Palisades fire.
The driver told the National Guard troops manning the perimeter that he was a volunteer firefighter, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the incident told The Times.
They had little reason to believe otherwise, said the official, who wasn’t authorized to speak with the media and requested anonymity. The man was wearing a yellow firefighter uniform — and he was driving a full-size red fire engine outfitted with emergency lights, California license plates and an American flag.
But a firefighter at the checkpoint noticed something off about the decals on the truck, which had markings from the “Roaring River Fire Department,” the official said. He told Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies to check the man’s ID…