The deadly Pacific Palisades fire, which tore through wealthy celebrity enclaves in Los Angeles, took hold in an area where firefighters had restricted access as part of woke laws protecting endangered plant species.
A class action lawsuit involving more than 3,000 claimants revealed text messages and avoidance maps in court, showing that state parks officials were concerned about endangered plants when responding to the Lachman Fire on January 1, 2024.
This blaze was believed to have been extinguished in Topanga State Park until six days later, when it reignited into the Palisades inferno, which started on January 7 and burned for 24 days through the wealthy coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades.
The blaze killed 12 people, destroyed 7,000 homes, caused damage worth $150 billion, and occurred simultaneously to the deadly Eaton fire nearby, wreaking havoc on Los Angeles and stretching resources beyond their limit.
Attorneys alleged that the state park officials directly interfered with LAFD’s mop-up operations of the Lachman fire in an effort to preserve endangered milkvetch plants, which were growing in the region.
In messages seen by NewsNation, state park employees discussed their plans to protect the plants during the Lachman fire.
‘There is federally endangered astragalus along the Temescal fire road. Would be nice to avoid cutting it if possible,’ one state park official wrote.
‘Do you have avoidance maps?’
Hellbound and Down 