Palisades Fire Likely Started Near Remnants of a Previous Fire Believed to Have Been Sparked by Fireworks Set Off on New Year's Eve: Report

The investigation also noted that the response to the second fire was slower, allowing it to rapidly evolve into one of California's most destructive wildfires.

The Palisades Fire, which wreaked havoc in Los Angeles and claimed the lives of at least eight people, likely reignited from scorch marks left by a previous inferno that's believed to have been sparked by fireworks set off on New Year's Eve, according to a report.

Strong winds — which have made containing the ongoing fire challenging — may have reignited the remnants of the New Year's Eve blaze, even six days after it was put out, the Washington Post reported. A review of satellite imagery, radio transmissions and videos conducted by the publication revealed that the Palisades Fire ignited in the same location where firefighters had put out the previous fire.

Bombshell New Theory

Pacific Palisades Wildfire
As brave firefighters battle the flames on at least two fronts, the Los Angeles Fire Department has issued an urgent plea for off-duty personnel to join the effort. X

The investigation also noted that the response to the second fire was slower, allowing it to rapidly evolve into one of California's most destructive wildfires. Frustrated locals told The Washington Post that first responders took significantly longer to arrive when the Palisades Fire broke out last Tuesday compared to their quicker response on New Year's Eve.

Michael Valentine, a nearby resident who witnessed the start of both fires, described the contrast in firefighting responses as stark.

Pacific Palisades Wildfire
Pacific Palisades Wildfire X

He recalled that during the first fire, the response was rapid and commendable. However, the second fire saw delays, compounded by strong winds, he told the outlet.

Valentine shared that when he and his wife called the Los Angeles Fire Department 30 minutes apart last Tuesday to report the early signs of the Palisades Fire, he had to wait because the line was busy.

At the time, LAFD crews were busy addressing two other emergencies elsewhere in the city and indicated they would dispatch resources as soon as possible, according to The Washington Post. Meanwhile, a water-carrying helicopter that tried to help early on was unable to operate due to the high winds.

"For the longest time, I didn't see any police, firefighters, not on the ground or in the air. I was disappointed because the second fire was moving so fast, and there was no one there," Valentine said.

Delay in Response

Valentine estimated that it took nearly 45 minutes before he spotted a helicopter over the fire, and even then, it was not carrying any water. Later that evening, he took it upon himself to go around the neighborhood, trying to spray down homes to protect them.

Pacific Palisades Wildfire
Pacific Palisades Wildfire X

During his efforts, he suffered multiple burns and injured his back after falling from a ladder, he shared.

In the days leading up to the wildfire outbreaks, the greater Los Angeles area had been under warnings of severe winds and drought conditions. This dangerous combination created an ideal scenario for fires to reignite, even from campfires that had been extinguished for days.

"We know that fires rekindle and transition from smoldering to flaming. It's certainly possible that something from that previous fire, within a week, had rekindled and caused the ignition," Michael Gollner, a professor of mechanical engineering and fire scientist at the University of California at Berkeley, told the Washington Post.

Satellite images obtained by the newspaper, captured roughly 20 minutes after the Palisades Fire began, showed that the smoke's origin coincided with the burn scar left by the New Year's Eve fire in Temescal Ridge within the Santa Monica Mountains.

The New Year's Eve fire had burned slowly, spreading across four acres. Although there was minimal wind, it still required over four hours to fully contain.

Darrin Hurrwitz, a hiker who had been near the fire's starting point just an hour before it ignited last Tuesday, said that he briefly smelled smoke but noted that the odor vanished as he continued along the trail.

Another resident told a Washington Post journalist that the wildfire was ultimately caused by "reckless people" on New Year's Eve. He said that every year, despite restrictions, people set off fireworks late at night to celebrate the New Year. He and his family recalled hearing the fireworks and noticing the fire shortly after midnight.

Pacific Palisades Wildfire
Hundreds of homes have been burned in the Pacific Palisades wildfire including those of several Hollywood celebrities X

"You got to know better. It's dry. There's no precipitation," he told the outlet.

"I don't know if you've ever been camping, but when you go camping and put a fire out, that doesn't mean that it's not hot below. Then the Santa Anas came on Monday, and that's what started, that's what reignited the fire."

It remains unclear whether the New Year's Eve fire directly triggered the Palisades Fire. State and federal investigators have been thoroughly examining the second fire's origin site to uncover any evidence that might explain its cause.

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