A month after L.A. firestorms, essential questions still haunt Southern California
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The first column of black smoke rose from the hills above Pacific Palisades just after 10 a.m. on Jan. 7. A fire in that location so close to homes would bring alarm on any day. But on this one, the Santa Ana winds were reaching hurricane force.
It was the beginning of one of the most momentous, destructive and tragic days in Los Angeles County history.
The Palisades fire went on to char 23,707 acres in the area of Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu. More than 6,800 structures were destroyed, including many residences and iconic businesses along Pacific Coast Highway and homes in the hills above. At least 12 people were killed.
The Eaton fire, which erupted hours later in Altadena, burned 14,021 acres in and around Altadena and Pasadena, razing more than 9,400 structures and claiming 17 lives. It took a heavy toll on the historically Black community of Altadena, where many families of color had used their homes to accumulate generational wealth.
Eaton and Palisades fires
The devastating fires killed at least 28 people, destroying and damaging more than 18,000 buildings valued at more than $275 billion and leaving a burn zone 2? times the size of Manhattan.
A month later, the crisis of the fire has given way to recovery, cleanup and talk of rebuilding.
But questions remain about what happened that day and what we can learn from it. Here are some key points from the pages of The Times’ fire coverage:
What do we know about the cause of the Palisades fire?
The fires broke out near a popular hiking trail at around 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 and spread rapidly into Pacific Palisades and Malibu amid hurricane-force winds.
A team of investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is trying to determine the cause of the firestorm.
The ATF has not commented on the investigation. But sources say one area of scrutiny is whether an 8-acre blaze that fire officials thought they had put out on Jan. 1 in the same area reignited and spread due to the intense wind.
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The Lachman fire was reported at 12:17 a.m. New Year’s Day on a hillside above Pacific Palisades by a resident whose home is about two blocks from the popular Skull Rock trail. Sources with knowledge of the investigation who were not authorized to speak publicly told The Times the Lachman fire appeared to have been sparked by fireworks.
Water-dropping helicopters initially were not able to fly because of strong winds, according to the agency. But around 1:40 a.m., an aerial attack was launched to support crews on the ground. News footage captured the charge, with walls of flames towering over homes and firefighters with hoses running into backyards.
Shortly after 3:30 a.m., fire officials reported they had stopped forward progress of the blaze.
A little over an hour later, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported that firefighters had “completed the hose line around the perimeter of the fire and it is fully contained.” However, some firefighters remained at the site to mop up and ensure the fire didn’t flare up again.
But sources told The Times last week a final determination had not been made and that it was still possible the blaze started on Jan. 7.
What was the cause of the Eaton fire?
The blaze, which burned large swaths of Altadena, is being investigated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The early focus has been on Southern California Edison power lines in Eaton Canyon, where the fire began after 6 p.m. on Jan. 7.
Soon after the fire, Edison came under scrutiny because of photos and videos taken by Eaton Canyon residents that showed a fire burning under a transmission tower just as the blaze started.
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Last week, Edison revealed that its lines over Eaton Canyon saw a momentary increase of electrical current about the same time as the fire began. In a filing to California regulators on Jan. 27, Edison said a fault occurred on the Eagle Rock-Gould line, which connects the Eagle Rock substation to the Gould substation in La Ca?ada Flintridge.
The fault occurred about five circuit miles from the area where the fire started and caused an increase of current across the company’s transmission lines.
On Thursday, Edison went a step further, acknowledging that videos and other evidence suggested the company’s equipment might have played a role. The company added that so far, however, it “has not identified typical or obvious indications that would support this association, such as broken conductors, fresh arc marks in the preliminary origin area, or evidence of faults on the energized lines running through the area.”
“While we do not yet know what caused the Eaton wildfire, SCE is exploring every possibility in its investigation, including the possibility that SCE’s equipment was involved,” said Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of SCE’s parent company, Edison International.
More than 40 lawsuits from over 600 residents have been filed against Southern California Edison accusing the utility and its equipment of igniting the blaze.
What was the cause of the Hurst fire?
Southern California Edison reported to state regulators Thursday that its equipment likely sparked the Hurst fire that burned nearly 800 acres in Sylmar.
More reading:
More than 40 lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison, as law firms launch their own investigations into the cause of the Eaton fire.
What — or who — started the Palisades fire? Two leading theories emerge as investigation intensifies
For the last few weeks, a team of investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has worked out of a command post near a popular hiking trail, where officials believe the Palisades fire began around 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7.
Investigators looking into the cause of the devastating Eaton fire have been studying the site around an electrical tower in Eaton Canton. Residents took photos of the early moments of the fire and believe it started there.
What do we know about the fire evacuations?
The evacuations for both the Palisades and Eaton fires have been the subject of criticism.
A Times investigation of the Eaton fire showed it took almost nine hours for a large swath of Altadena west of North Lake Avenue to receive electronic evacuation orders. By then, several fires had been reported in that area, and many residents say they watched in horror as flames rapidly approached their homes. Of the 17 people who died, all lived west of North Lake Avenue.
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A Times review of the Palisades fire found the challenge of evacuating thousands of residents was compounded by delayed alerts and overwhelmed first responders. Residents told The Times they felt as if they were left to fend for themselves. Streets were gridlocked at least 40 minutes before the first widespread evacuation order. As flames approached, firefighters and police told motorists to get out and run. The abandoned cars worsened the jam and prevented first responders from getting through. Residents trapped by blocked roads said they were forced to shelter in place.
Further reading:
As the Eaton fire spread, many areas were notified of evacuation warnings and orders well in advance. In the heart of Altadena, where all 17 reported deaths occurred, evacuation orders came hours after fire did.
A deep analysis of the Palisades fire evacuation paints a chaotic scenario: As the fire roared toward homes, major escape routes were gridlocked before the first evacuation orders were given.
After a report from The Times, officials have called for an external review into delayed evacuation alerts in western Altadena, during the Eaton fire.
In this section of western Altadena, residents weren’t ordered to evacuate until after 5 a.m., according to records reviewed by The Times. That was well after smoke and flames were threatening the area.
With thousands of lives at risk, a mobile command post tasked with issuing evacuation orders struggled to keep pace with the Eaton fire’s rapid progress.
What do we know about fire preparations?
A Times investigation revealed that Los Angeles Fire Department officials made the critical decision to forgo calling in scores of extra firefighters and equipment in the hours before the Palisades fire.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has also come under scrutiny because a key Pacific Palisades reservoir was empty due to maintenance when the Palisades fire broke out. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered an investigation into the matter.
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Water pressure was another issue, with fire hydrants running dry in both Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Officials said water systems that supply neighborhoods simply don’t have the capacity to deliver such large volumes of water over several hours. As fires grow larger and more intense in the West, essential questions are being raised, including: Should storage tanks and other local water infrastructure be expanded to contend with wildfires? Where? And at what cost?
Further reading:
Fire officials made the critical decision to forgo calling in scores of extra firefighters and equipment in the hours before the fire, according to internal documents reviewed by The Times.
Thirteen years ago, the LAFD took the type of dramatic measures in preparation of dangerous winds that the department failed to employ last week in advance of the Palisades fire.
In late January 2024, after a series of rainstorms, a DWP property manager spotted a tear in the reservoir’s floating cover, according to internal emails reviewed by The Times.
When fire hydrants ran dry, the L.A. Department of Water and Power struggled to get water where needed. The utility’s operations chief explains the decisions as the fire spread.
A reservoir in the Palisades that holds 117 million gallons of water was offline this month for previously scheduled maintenance.
Firefighters in Pacific Palisades and Altadena have repeatedly been hampered by low water pressure and dry hydrants, revealing limitations in local water systems designed to supply neighborhoods.
Resources
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Here is The Times’ guide for fire resources, support and protection.
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