In his new book “ Torched: How a City Was Left to Burn, and the Olympic Rush to Rebuild LA ,” CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti delivers a firsthand account of the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires — looking at how city and state government failures made the situation even more catastrophic. In this exclusive adapted excerpt, Vigliotti writes about Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ and California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shocking choices to all but disappear as the fires bore down. Minutes after the Palisades Fire began to spread, Los Angeles’  then-Fire Chief Kristin Crowley called Mayor Bass: the situation was escalating.  It was 10:48 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Crowley did not know Bass was in Ghana , on a profile-building presidential assignment to attend the Inauguration of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. Bass had quietly exited Los Angeles, giving emergency managers just a day’s notice. Where she was headed was never disclosed.…