Posted on 01/13/2025 10:34:35 AM PST by Signalman
An exhaustive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Palisades wildfires is suggesting a multi-level failure by firefighting authorities to contain what may have initially been a preventable outbreak, shooting holes in theories proffered by California Democrats that they were powerless to stop the devastating results of climate change.
After nearly a week, wildfires in the Los Angeles enclave have killed at least 24 and decimated more than 12,000 homes, many owned by the rich and famous who support the city’s tax base with generous, mandatory contributions. Firefighters managed to contain approximately 11% of the outbreak over the weekend, but an investigation of satellite images in the days prior to the first flames may indicate that tragedy could have been prevented with a few enhanced fire prevention measures by the Los Angeles Fire Department. Days before the fire broke out, authorities were busy working to contain an outbreak they believe was set on New Year’s Eve through the illegal use of fireworks. Dispatches between firefighters on January 7th, the first day the Palisades fire was spotted, reveal that signs of smoke were first detected in a familiar sliver of mountain ridge.
“The foot of the fire started real close to where the last fire was on New Year’s Eve,” reads a communiqué from one LAFD firefighter to another, according to transcripts reviewed by the Washington Post. “It looks like it’s going to make a good run,” one firefighter replied to dispatch. Their visuals have sent state and federal officials into the site in recent days as they scour for the source of the outbreak which fire experts say may have been caused by a “reignition,” or the start of an earlier fire most likely due to increased wind in the period following New Year’s Day. Residents told the Post that investigators’ response has been much slower this time around compared to their quick reaction on New Year’s Eve.
Past advertising campaigns funded by the state of California have warned residents about the dangers of reignition, declaring that fires which appear to be out may actually just be smoldering for days, waiting to be provoked into another wrath at the slightest gust of a strong breeze. But despite the cause for concern, an LAFD spokesman told the Post that it is not the department’s practice to station firefighters at the site of a blaze for several days after it has supposedly been extinguished. That lack of oversight is a cause for concern, according to Michael Gollner, a professor of mechanical engineering and fire scientist at the University of California at Berkeley who reviewed the Washington Post’s materials. “We know that fires rekindle and transition from smoldering to flaming,” he said. “It’s certainly possible that something from that previous fire, within a week, had rekindled and caused the ignition.”
Control of the investigation has now been ceded to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, officials said. “ATF certified fire investigators did an initial survey of the area but the investigation has not begun.” In response to questions from the Post about reignition as a possible cause, the LAFD said, “This is an ongoing, active investigation and the team will not comment on an ongoing investigation.” The stretch, known as the Temescal Ridge in the Santa Monica Mountains, had been well-known to authorities since the start of the New Year’s Eve fire, which residents say they believe was sparked by the use of fireworks. False-color satellite imagery reviewed by the Post indicates burn scars across the topography that only appeared after the first blaze and coincides with smoke reported in the first minutes of the Palisades blaze on the 7th.
To be sure, the investigation is unlikely to completely quell online conspiracy theories that continue to percolate in the days since thousands have been displaced and at least two dozen left dead. On Friday authorities arrested a homeless man setting fires with a handheld blowtorch while others online testified that they had seen individuals pouring gasoline into sewer grates. President-elect Donald Trump has laid the brunt of the blame at the feet of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom for rebutting his 2019 water conservation policy, and in turn both Democrats have reviled Trump for what they say is an attempt to politicize a tragedy and his denial of climate change, which they say could have caused or worsened the disaster.
They said they can’t post firefighters at the sites of past fires, but this is a red herring, they don’t need to. Aerial IR imagery could easily see if a fire still has burning embers and is at risk of reigniting. The cost would be well under $1 million, and possibly under $100k. They might have been able to afford that with only a slight reduction in the gay choir, etc.
does anyone else see the irony in the LAFD being laughed at?
When I was kid in grade school one of my friends lived in a wooden house. I guess they were naturalists or something, all the sidings and the roof was made of wood planks. It stood out in a neighborhood of working class suburban homes with stucco walls and tile roofs. Anyway, that house caught fire 3 times, and each time they rebuilt it exactly the same. One of the fires was caused by his older brother who lit off some fireworks that landed on their roof.
There will always be fires in the Los Angeles basin.
Lightning strikes. Car sparks. Bums with propane tanks. Meth heads cooking dope. Arson. Downed power lines. Fireworks. Barbecues gone awry. House fires that take off.
The solution is to
A. Minimize risk. Keep camping away from tinder box areas. Prosecute arson. Clear brush. Keep cars in good repair. Rake forests. Home sprinkler systems. Controlled burns.
B. Respond with excellent fire services including plenty of water and personnel and equipment and good firefighting strategies with solid mutual aid in place.
Most of the above neglected or actively opposed. Criminal.
Now the libs have to try to link Trump to the fireworks, not his evil climate denial.
I was thinking exactly the same. Thank you adding a bit of sense to the discussion.
I always thought these fires happened all the time, either caused by people or by lightening strikes…. Then they may or may not spread out of control depending on wind, dryness, etc..
Am I wrong?
Enterprise Car rental in 2020 lost 4000 vehicles in a fire caused by parking on a grass field in Fort Myers, Florida...
Florida Fire that Destroyed 4K Rental Cars Ruled Accident
https://www.autorentalnews.com/10124530/florida-fire-that-destroyed-4k-rental-cars-ruled-accident
An April fire at a rental lot at the Southwest Florida International Airport has been ruled an accident.
The 15-acre fire destroyed nearly 4,000 vehicles and resulted in $100 million in damages. About 2,500 of the vehicles were from Enterprise and Avis. More than 1,000 destroyed vehicles were from Hertz.
Officials believe the fire was probably started by hot exhaust over dried grass.
Fire investigator Lee Quick provided his report to Auto Rental News. The report concludes:
“After my examination of the fire scene, examination of physical evidence, knowledge of fire development, witness information, and supporting documents and environmental conditions, I determined the fire originated near ground level. This was likely caused by a hot exhaust system contacting dry grass underneath a vehicle. Once the fire started, surrounding combustible items would have ignited with available oxygen and allowed the fire to spread rapidly onto the surrounding grasses and vehicles. I am classifying this fire as Accidental.”
Interesting discussion on what caused the Palisades Fire (fireworks not mentioned):
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/01/where-and-how-did-palisades-fire-start.html
Fireworks sounds better than illegals and marxist nutcases purposefully setting them.
They do happen all the time. The thing is, as good stewards of the land is to make them less destructive. That is done by grazing the land (eliminating dry brush) clearing out dead trees so the surrounding trees don’t catch canopies on fire, making sure reservoirs are filled and there are sufficient reservoirs. Establishing breaks where needed.
You will never eliminate wildfires, but they can be less deadly.
How many days after New Years did this Palisades fire start?
I’m thinking this is government misinformation.
Climate Change ringing in the New Year like everyone else. Burn baby, burn
Autonomous drones with various lenses sending data to AI image reading systems could do it very inexpensively. The AI can alert the FD of various types of risks including smoldering fires, risky dense shrubbery or dead brush in the hillsides etc.
Government efficiency isn’t exactly the name of the game in California politics but the entire state needs to rethink and redo the way it works. The path we are on is unsustainable. Lots of public servants get paid a lot of money to deliver too few services; and deliver them poorly and without much success to show for the efforts. We are staring at an $80 billion budget deficit and 15,000 of the wealthier people just got decades of tax write offs. Private business efficiency and productivity will decline in the near term as well, and housing costs will be going up with a massive increase in demand and takedown of supply. And it’s been a week, not a single person of “authority” is taking the lead or being inspirational. They have neglected the most important and basic services in favor of false virtues and now they are already neck deep in the blame game. All these losers have got to go.
In this age of electric car battery recharging, the demand for electricity is maxing out the electric grid. Those electric lines are arching and sparking. One fault could send sparks into the fuel of brush tinder and take off into wild fire.
It seems as the Governor and the Southern California leadership threw caution to the wind. Not only did they fail to order an evacuation when the weather report forecast first reported high Santa Anna winds, but they failed in advance with ridding the region of dried out plant growth and fire breaks. Also, budget cuts failed to provide money to maintain fire emergeny water supply, fire engine maintenance, purchase generators that provide electricity to the fire main water pressure pumps upon power outages, and public education on how to control vegetation on property that would start a fire.
All homes in the Santa Ana winds area should have fire resistant measures in their construction. Roofing should be metal, clay tiles, slate, or concrete tiles. Walls should have a 1-inch thick layor of stucco, which has a fire rating of 1 hour. This means that if the wall was to be exposed to flames, it would take 1 hour for the fire to breach the wall and damage the rest of the home. Interior sprinkler systems would add maximum protection.
Maybe all caution was thrown to the Global Warming Goddess with thinking that, whatever she wants, nothing man can do to stop it.
Technically, it was probably ignited by a hot catalytic converter. That’s what typically starts a grass fire, not an exhaust pipe. And yes, I know the catalytic converter is part of the exhaust system. It just seems stupid to not name the likely culprit. Then again, we are talking about our media.
I’ve read somewhere that you can’t maintain fire breaks in California because the Greenie extremists have declared they interfere with the migration of some endangered mouse. I have no idea if that is true, but it is certainly on-brand and seems at least likely.
Interesting bit in the comments....
Apparently there was an effort to replace the wooden poles with steel ones back in 2019. But this area happens to be home to Braunton’s milkvetch, an endangered plant species. So the California Coastal Commission issued a cease-and-desist order and fined the utility $2 million because of milkvetch removal. Ironically, this milkvetch preferentially grows in areas disturbed by fire.
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