The devastating Jan. 7 fire in the Pacific Palisades, which claimed 11 lives and destroyed over 6,800 structures, is under intense investigation. Authorities are focusing on a smaller fire reported on Jan. 1 in the same area, raising concerns about a possible connection. Investigators are meticulously combing through evidence, including video footage and social media posts, to determine the cause of both fires and whether they are linked.
As the charred hills of the Pacific Palisades continue to smolder and rainstorms approach, investigators are racing against time to uncover the origins of the devastating Jan. 7 fire. This catastrophic blaze claimed 11 lives and destroyed more than 6,800 structures, leaving a trail of devastation across the landscape. Investigators, working diligently across local, state, and federal agencies, have amassed over 235 leads in their search for answers.
Their focus has shifted to a suspicious fire that ignited days earlier in the same area, raising concerns about a possible connection. The investigation has zeroed in on a scorched ridgeline above an exclusive neighborhood known as the Highlands, perched high in the mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This area is near the site of a smaller blaze that the Los Angeles Fire Department contained in the early hours of Jan. 1, just six days before the catastrophic Jan. 7 fire erupted.Earlier this week, yellow caution tape blocked off access to a trailhead linking the Highlands to a popular hiking area in Topanga State Park. Many houses surrounding the trail remained untouched by the inferno, a stark contrast to the blackened skeletons of once grand homes and charred trees that dotted the landscape just blocks away. Approximately 75 personnel from local, state, and federal agencies have spread out across the state park, renowned for its breathtaking ocean views and popular landmarks like the eponymously named Skull Rock boulder and the little Buddha sculpture. Both of these points hold particular interest for investigators due to their proximity to the two fires, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Los Angeles office.The Los Angeles Fire Department has referred all questions regarding both the Jan. 1 and Jan. 7 fires to the ATF. While no homes were damaged or destroyed in the Jan. 1 fire, investigators with the ATF are exploring potential links to the Jan. 7 inferno. They are also examining other human causes such as arson, fireworks, and unauthorized camping activity. The fire is more than 84% contained as of Sunday, but flare-ups continue to spark nearly three weeks later, a testament to the fire's intensity and the challenges faced by firefighters. “We’re not leaving any stone unturned,” Ginger Colburn, an ATF spokesperson, stated outside the agency’s makeshift command center on the Pacific Coast Highway. Although Colburn declined to confirm a direct link between the two fires, she emphasized that investigators are meticulously analyzing all available data and added that “there isn’t any reason not to go back” and re-examine both incidents.Highlands residents reported hearing fireworks on New Year's Eve before a small fire broke out in the wildlands bordering the neighborhood. Firefighters responded to a call from a resident who lives about two blocks from the Skull Rock trailhead shortly after midnight on Jan. 1. By 5 a.m., that fire was extinguished, and firefighters remained on the scene afterward, according to NBC Los Angeles and residents who witnessed and heard fire crews for hours. That fire was largely forgotten until Jan. 7, when smoke was again spotted in the mountains and canyons surrounding the Highlands. Firefighters responded to a call from a different resident who lives about a three-minute drive from the address of the caller who reported the Jan. 1 fire. Both homes have backyards facing the Temescal Ridge Trail, one of several local hiking trails leading to Skull Rock. An intricate puzzle is now being pieced together by investigators from local, state, and federal agencies. They have reviewed over 85 hours of video footage and sifted through social media posts from hikers and park visitors, Colburn said.
WILDFIRE INVESTIGATION LOS ANGELES FIRE PACIFIC PALISADES FIRE ORIGIN OF FIRES SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES
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