How did the Palisades Fire start? Investigators comb a scorched slope to solve a mystery
The ATF's probe into the Palisades Fire is focusing on potential human causes, which could include arson, fireworks, unauthorized camping or a rekindling of an earlier fire, sources said.
One week after the Palisades Fire rushed down a mountainside, swallowing whole communities and killing at least eight people, its cause remains unknown.
The answers, when they emerge, will most likely be found on a scorched and blackened ridgeline in western Los Angeles overlooking a Pacific Palisades neighborhood that includes a popular hiking trail — an area that was also the scene of a small fire six days earlier.
Understanding the catastrophic Jan. 7 fire could take months, a process that began with investigators collecting videos and photographs from nearby homes and social media, interviewing witnesses and firefighters and examining 911 calls, looking for leads.
Colin and Dylan Fields try to protect their Palisades Highlands property from the flames closing in on Jan. 7.David Swanson / AFP via Getty Images“All of this is going to take time,” Jose Medina, acting special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Los Angeles office, said at a news conference Tuesday. He said there were 75 federal and local investigators on the case. “We know everyone wants answers, and the community deserves answers. ATF will give you those answers, but it will be once we complete a thorough investigation. We have no timeline on when this will occur.”
Investigators haven’t reached any conclusions, though an early focus of the probe has been on potential human causes, according to multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation. The possibilities include arson, an accidental spark, fireworks, unauthorized camping activity or a rekindling of an earlier fire extinguished on New Year’s Day, the sources said.
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