As officials investigate the cause of the Palisades Fire in Southern California, they are particularly interested in a popular hiking trail in the Los Angeles area.
This trail was also the site of a smaller fire, the Lachman Fire, which occurred six days earlier on January 1. According to a CBS News analysis using satellite images and local photos, the Palisades Fire likely began near where the Lachman Fire had been... Continue reading here ▶
The Lachman Fire burned only eight acres and didn’t damage any buildings. However, the Palisades Fire started on the morning of January 7 and quickly spread due to strong Santa Ana winds. It has burned over 23,000 acres and caused at least eight deaths, with only 17% contained a week later.
The exact cause of the Palisades Fire has not yet been determined. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has sent 15 investigators to help find the cause and exact starting point of the fire.
Residents of Pacific Palisades reported seeing the fire start on the morning of January 7 near the Skull Rock Trailhead on the Temescal Ridge Trail in Topanga State Park.
Jerry Del Colliano, who lives close to where the fire likely began, took a photo of the flames coming from the trail area. David Hansen, who had to evacuate his mother from nearby, also observed the fire starting around the same place where the Lachman Fire had been earlier contained. He believes it was definitely the same location.
Zane Mitchell, a hiker on the Temescal Ridge Trail on January 1, noted that the ground was still smoldering from the Lachman Fire, and firefighters were still working on extinguishing remaining hotspots.
The phenomenon of fires reigniting is not uncommon in Southern California, as seen with previous incidents like the Oakland Hills fire in 1991 and more recent fires in Maui and Boulder County.
Del Colliano described the rapid spread of the fire through his community as reminiscent of a scene from ‘The Terminator’ as he evacuated with elderly residents.