Federal agents on Wednesday concluded a controlled fire in Pallisard, the Pacific Ocean, and hoped it would help authorities determine the cause of the January flames that killed dozens and destroyed thousands of homes.
Almost four months after the U.S. Alcohol Service, cigarettes, firearms and explosives, began investigating the Pallisard fire, and investigators set lit a portion of the Temescal Ridge Trail between Skull Rock and Green Peak on Wednesday morning.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Eric Scott announced Wednesday that the ATF has “completed fire tests along the Temescal Ridge Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains.”
“A systematic post-test walkthrough confirmed that all the materials have disappeared coldly. We would like to thank the ATF and the Los Angeles Fire Department for their cooperation during these operations,” Scott said.
The fire test was expected to run until Thursday, according to the ATF. The results of the test were not immediately revealed.
Investigators have tried to determine the exact origin of the Palisade fire and how it ran from the hill to the sea during a massive storm.
“The location of the flame, the size of the flame helps,” said Matthew Beals, a special agent at ATF. “It’s like playing a film on the contrary. It’s about trying to bring it back to the smallest place, within the reasonable degree of scientific certainty.”
Officials believe the Palisade fire was first detected at about 10:30am on January 7th. Sources familiar with the investigation say the focus is on whether eight acres of flames were sparked by fireworks a week ago.
On January 1st, the Luckman fire was reported at about 12:17am on the hillside above Palisade in the Pacific Ocean by residents, located in a home about two blocks from the popular Skull Rock Trail. A source with knowledge of the investigation that is not permitted to speak publicly told The Times that Luckman’s fire appears to have been caused by fireworks.
Just three hours later, firefighters reported that they had stopped the flames from advancing.
Assistant Fire Chief Joe Everett, who assists in overseeing the LAFD’s West Bureau, including Palisades in the Pacific, said firefighters felt heat along the edge of the fire, excavating all live spots and performing cold driving operations where they dug up the fire rim to ensure they couldn’t splash out later.
Investigators have not ruled out that the fire was somehow lit on the morning of January 7th. In both scenarios, he said that the cause of the fire would likely be fed to humans, as there were no electric poles near the cause and the trail area was moving well.
Without the cause, some homeowners have sued the Los Angeles Water and Power Department, claiming that the utility could not properly prepare for the wildfire and respond when it broke out.
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