LA Fire Crews Ordered to Abandon Smoldering Blaze Before Palisades Fire Outbreak

Palisades Fire Outbreak and Initial Response

• 💡 A report from the LA Times reveals that the devastating Palisades Fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and caused 12 fatalities, may have been preventable.
• 🎯 The fire ignited on January 1st, and an arrest was made for starting it, but a hiker later noticed smoke on January 2nd from what appeared to be a smoldering underground fire.

Firefighter Concerns and Text Messages

• 💬 Text messages obtained by the LA Times indicate that firefighters on the ground on January 2nd believed it was a "bad idea" to abandon the smoldering Lackman Fire.
• ⚠️ Crews expressed concern about the potential for rekindling, especially given that a fire had occurred and was being monitored days before the January 7th outbreak.

Questions of Preparedness and Suppression

• ❓ Questions are being raised about why additional assets were not pre-deployed or staged in the Palisades area, despite knowledge of incoming powerful winds.
• 🔍 The LA City Fire Department stated the Palisades Fire was not a rekindled event due to failed suppression but rather the reactivation of an undetectable "holdover fire" deeply seated in vegetation and roots.
• 📈 However, video evidence suggests the ground was still smoldering, contradicting the idea that the fire was deeply seated and undetected until catastrophic weather.

Criticism and Investigation

• 🗣️ The LA Fire Department is facing criticism for allegedly failing to fully extinguish the New Year's Day fire.
• 🛠️ There is a call for an investigation into what happened between the time the January 1st Lackman Fire was declared out and when it reignited into the catastrophic Palisades Fire.
• 🧐 The LAFD has acknowledged receiving requests for comments on the matter.