Exclusive: Source Claims Newsom Confiscated Starlink Modems From Firefighters Amid Wifi Outage During LA Wildfires

"Our power and phone lines were down. The internet, a lifeline in disaster response, was suddenly cut off, leaving us completely isolated and hindering our ability to carry out our duties effectively"

As wildfires tore through Los Angeles, firefighters on the frontlines faced an unexpected obstacle: the sudden removal of Starlink modems, which had become critical for maintaining communication in remote, fire-stricken areas. This decision, reportedly made at the direction of Governor Gavin Newsom, reveals a troubling political discord with Elon Musk, raising questions about the role of personal grudges in disaster response.

An LA County firefighter, who has been in the field for over a decade and spoke on the condition of anonymity, described the chaos that unfolded at his station when communication systems failed. “Our power and phone lines were down,” he explained. “We have a backup system for when the internet goes out, but that’s a last resort. The internet, a lifeline in disaster response, was suddenly cut off, leaving us completely isolated and hindering our ability to carry out our duties effectively.”

Desperate for a solution, crews began searching for alternatives and heard reports of someone distributing Starlink modems at nearby fire stations. “We were told it was a representative of Elon Musk, driving around with a truck full of Starlink units,” the firefighter recalled. “He’d already handed them out to some of the stations along the coast, but we couldn’t track him down.”

Eventually, another colleague purchased a Starlink modem out of pocket, allowing the station to regain internet access. However, just as they were stabilizing their operations, a new directive arrived. “Our battalion chief told me, ‘The governor got into town and ordered us to confiscate the free modems,’” the firefighter said. “I asked why, and he said, ‘It’s politics. They don’t like each other.’”

“This isn’t the time to be playing politics. Who cares where the internet comes from? It’s about saving lives,” the firefighter responded.

In a separate effort to support emergency responders, Musk reportedly sent Tesla Cybertrucks equipped with Starlink technology around base camps, strategically positioning them to expand internet coverage for firefighting teams. Yet, the confiscation of individual modems caused significant disruptions for already-strained stations. “Those modems were the only way we could communicate,” the firefighter said. “If one of our guys hadn’t bought one himself, we’d still be in the dark.”

This incident adds to the ongoing public clashes between Newsom and Musk. Musk, who relocated Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter) headquarters from California to Texas, has repeatedly criticized Newsom’s administration for poor governance and excessive regulation. During a prior wildfire crisis, Musk accused the state of mismanaging water resources, worsening fire risks. Newsom responded by sharing a video of a firefighter refuting Musk’s claims and defending the state’s response.

However, the accusations of confiscating Starlink modems during an active wildfire crisis take their feud to a new, potentially life-threatening level. “It says a lot about a person if you let petty politics interfere when lives are at stake,” the firefighter said. “This was a crisis. The internet shouldn’t have been a battleground.”

“The county stations still have the Starlink units in place (because we aren’t funded by CalFire), but the county does get reimbursement from the fire through the state after the incident is concluded. CalFire was told to find another vendor, which is important to understand — CalFire is now running the incident and they are state-funded. So…if the governor gets angry about looking bad, I’m not sure what that would mean for reimbursement.”