A clean-up crew on the Palisade fire grounds discovered around 500 firearms in pieces of house burned earlier this year, and the Los Angeles Police Department is currently working on a weapons reunion with the owner.
Photos shared by LAPD on Wednesday showed that most of the burnt handguns and rifles in the ashes appear to be damaged, burning out stock and metal burning into copper colour. Police are difficult to identify guns due to fire damage, but the LAPD gun recovery unit wants to give owners the opportunity to charge them.
LAPD officials did not say the number of firearms recovered (if any) are still functional, but authorities revealed which guns will be destroyed or returned to the legitimate owner, and have records that have not yet been calculated. The collected data will be entered into the state’s automatic firearms system, according to police.
In a strong wind, the Palisade fire burned for 24 days, killing 12 people and destroying more than 6,800 structures. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Over the past few months, Cleanup crews have removed debris from the burn scars, discovered the firearm and handed over to police.
“Since January, LAPD officials have been working through the painstaking process of safely restoring and making roughly 500 firearms safe,” LAPD detective Chief Alan Hamilton said in a statement. “We recognize that these firearms can retain great sentimental value to their owners, including family heirlooms, historical works, and personal memorabilia, and we are doing our best to reunite with the owner.”
Gun owners can start the recovery process by contacting LAPD with their home address and firearm description. They can report the firearms to the LAPD Police Station as “lost property” online at lapdonline.org or by email at palisadesfire@lapd.online.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has not released information regarding firearms recovered from the Eton Fire Zone.
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