Tag: los angeles

How Come We Don’t Know What Started the Palisades Fire Yet?

From the beginning, theories about what started the Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles were centered on only a couple of possibilities. Those theories haven’t changed. So why is there a blackout on what caused the fire? 

In the Eaton Fire, which torched Altadena and parts of Pasadena, a video of a Ring camera showed an electric arc from a high-tension power line that convinced many that they’d seen the origin of that devastating fire. The investigation into the cause of that fire continues, according to CalFire.  

Both the Eaton and Palisades fires are nearly completely contained and fortunately, two atmospheric rivers are blowing in this weekend to help put out the rest of the flames that may still be smoldering.

So now that we’re entering the clean-up and rebuilding phase. It’s time to find out what started the fire that wiped out an upscale swath of Palisades homes on 23,000 acres, which is nearly twice the size of Manhattan.

A team of 16 arson investigators with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has been investigating since nearly the beginning of the outbreak, according to the L.A. Times. They’re working with specialists throughout the country. One thing they agree on: the fire was most certainly started by human hand. But how?

Keep reading

Lithium-Ion Batteries, Melted EVs Create New Hazards In SoCal Fire Zones

This month’s deadly and destructive Los Angeles fires that claimed 28 lives burned with such intensity that electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries melted to the ground, creating hazardous conditions as residents began returning to their communities Jan. 28.

Specialists with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were leading the large-scale cleanup of the batteries Tuesday.

The Palisades Fire burned more than 36 square miles and tore through neighborhoods full of electric vehicles and solar panels after years of state-sponsored green-energy policies.

The size of the Palisades fire and number of lithium-ion batteries left behind make it one of the largest hazardous-materials cleanups that local first responders have seen, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Adam VanGerpen.

“We’ve never seen it on this scale,” VanGerpen told The Epoch Times. “We are talking a very large scale.”

Lithium-ion batteries are used in cellphones, tablets, laptops, wireless headphones, electric cars, and solar panel storage.

Many of the batteries and electric vehicles melted after they were abandoned by fleeing residents starting Jan. 7, VanGerpen said.

“We have to remove the entire vehicle,” he added.

Actor and Pacific Palisades homeowner James Woods said in a post on social media platform X Monday that the melted electric cars were “creating a real problem for safe debris removal.”

“While I am grateful to have President Trump in charge of the federal assistance so desperately needed, we can’t ignore that the electric cars have literally melted into the earth where they stood,” Woods wrote.

LAFD hazmat crews have surveyed the fire zone, searching through 6,837 destroyed homes and buildings, and 12,317 others that were damaged, according to numbers issued Tuesday by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

The teams used software to locate and flag the zone’s lithium-ion batteries, according to VanGerpen.

Keep reading

Government Means Perpetual Crisis

If we look around, then, at the crucial problem areas of our society—the areas of crisis and failure—we find in each and every case a “red thread” marking and uniting them all: the thread of government. In every one of these cases, government either has totally run or heavily influenced the activity. — Murray N. Rothbard, For a New Liberty [emphasis mine]

As I write this wildfires are still burning around Los Angeles, and social media posts are aflame about the $770 payments government is offering to victims of the disaster.  Further igniting their rage is the fact that billions of their former dollars continue to flow into contractors pockets to fight wars almost anywhere except here.  Adding to this was the discovery that fire hydrants had no water, the LA fire department had ignored “extraordinary warnings of life-threatening winds,” and the reservoir in Pacific Palisades was dry.

And where was LA mayor Karen Bass?  Attending a cocktail party in Ghana when the Palisades fire erupted.

Keep reading

LA Mayor Karen Bass’ past in communist Cuba revealed… as insiders say her political career is ‘over’

She rose from being a doctor’s assistant to running one of the largest cities in America. 

But today, embattled Karen Bass, 71, is a lightning rod for anger over her handling of historic wildfires that turned huge swaths of Los Angeles into a charred hellscape.

And now her alleged missteps have imperiled her political career and further damaged her crumbling reputation with millions of Angelenos. 

Last night, in yet another on-air embarrassment, she was taken to task in front of millions by none other than President Trump. 

He admonished her for her poor handling of the fires disaster, telling her to use her power appropriately to get people the help they need.  

So far, 27 victims are known to have perished in the fires, fanned by dangerous Santa Ana winds, as authorities continue to sift through mile after mile of horrific devastation searching for human remains.

‘I don’t think she’ll ever be reelected… I think her political career is over,’ former LA County District Attorney Steve Cooley tells DailyMail.com of the city’s 43rd mayor.

‘The perception of her from residents at this point is such that she can no longer effectively lead the city of Los Angeles. She’s lost the public’s trust and importantly, their respect.’

Cooley, who served as DA from 2000 to 2012, states that there is an understandable wave of sentiment to have Bass ejected from the Mayor’s office but that such a move would be an uphill battle.

He added there was already a wave of city-wide antipathy towards Bass before the historic fires which he blames on her decision to prioritize DEI issues rather than focusing on hiring qualified candidates to key departments.

Moreover, he adds that Bass’ focus on her two signature issues – keeping LA a sanctuary city and the ceaseless homeless crisis – have bee a major detriment to the city and its residents.

‘She’s operating against the law when it comes to sanctuary cities, and the other issues of homelessness – she has not accomplished her goals, and it has been a failure,’ said Cooley.

Before becoming Madam Mayor, Bass served six terms as a Democrat in Congress and was a potential running mate in Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign for president. She entered Congress in 2010 and was chair of Congressional Black Caucus.

Meanwhile, the current wildfire disaster is only the latest controversy to damage Bass.

She praised Fidel Castro and had close associations with Cuba in her youth, traveling to the country in 1973 with an organization called the Venceremos Brigade and seeing the communist leader speak.

In 2016, when Castro died, she referred to him as ‘commandante en jefe’ (commander-in-chief) saying his passing was a ‘great loss to the people of Cuba.’ She also reportedly gave a eulogy for a senior member of the Communist Party USA.

‘And now you have the fires that destroyed (the city) and there is mismanagement. People feel that she let them down. To a certain extent, some people feel the city was set up for this disaster.’

Keep reading

Trump Eviscerates Woke LA Mayor To Her Face

President Trump was in California Friday to inspect the damage from the fires, and he didn’t hold back in slamming public officials, including the woke Mayor of Los Angeles over basic failures and subsequent bureaucratic nonsense.

During a press conference, Trump blasted Karen Bass, asserting that residents who have lost their homes in Pacific Palisades should not have to wait for government permits and assistance to clean up their lots and start again.

When residents complained that they have been prevented from getting started cleaning up, Bass said “The number one thing that we are going to do immediately, and you will see this happen, is to clear out the debris…we are going to move as fast as we can. But we want you to be safe. We want you to be back in your homes immediately.”

Trump interjected, “But the people are willing to clean out their own debris. It doesn’t cost a lot,” adding “You should let them do it. Because by the time you hire contractors, it’s going to be two years.”

“People are willing to get a dumpster and do it themselves and clean it out,” Trump continued, urging “There’s not that much left. It’s all incinerated, and you know, it’s just going to take a long time if you do [it].”

Trump further emphasised that people don’t “want to wait around for seven months till the city hires some demolition contract that’s going to charge $25,000.”

Keep reading

LA residents whose homes burnt down in wildfires will still have to pay off mortgages, property taxes

As deadly wildfires continue scorching their way through Los Angeles and the surrounding area for the second straight week, homeowners are worried about the prospect of defaulting on their mortgages in the wake of the unprecedented disaster were offered some reprieve from the nation’s major lenders.

On Monday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled mortgage assistance and relief options for customers reeling from the historic Southern California fires.

Both government-backed corporations are offering 12-month forbearance plans, meaning that struggling homeowners could either reduce or suspend their mortgage payments for up to a year without incurring late fees, foreclosure, or other types of legal proceedings.

In cases where a homeowner has failed to reach out to their lender, mortgage servicers are authorized to offer a forbearance plan for up to three months if they believe the home was affected by a disaster.

“We are committed to supporting homeowners, renters, and communities in need during this challenging time,” said Cyndi Danko, Fannie Mae’s single-family senior vice president and chief credit officer, in a statement. “If homeowners have been impacted by the fires, we encourage them to call their mortgage servicer for assistance as soon as possible.”

Even after the forbearance period ends, homeowners can apply for a repayment plan, a payment deferral, or a loan modification to avoid mortgage delinquency, according to the companies.

Keep reading

L.A. County Land-Grab Fears Ignite: “They’re Going To Turn Altadena Into One Big Apartment Complex”

Fears of a land grab have erupted across fire-ravaged areas of Los Angeles County, as local and state officials have already begun discussing plans for “LA 2.0.” One user on X commented, “Tell me this was a planned demolition without telling me this was a planned demolition.” 

“They are going to turn Altadena into one gigantic apartment complex,” X user Bay Area State OF Mind said, referring to local officials who want to change zoning in the Altadena area from single-family to multi-family. In other words, some officials want to usher in the construction of apartment buildings and so-called ‘smart cities.’

Altadena (and other areas in L.A. County) could serve as a proof-of-concept for how the Democratic Party transforms single-family neighborhoods into apartment buildings in a world where citizens own nothing and will be happy. 

Keep reading

California Government’s Role In The Destruction Is Becoming Clear

“LA” may now stand for Legal Arson, approved by the authorities. and it may have to do with UN Agendas in ways previously unconsidered by most. Here’s why.

Over 45,000 square MILES have been burned, or 29% of the entire state of California

This is a land area which equals: >

100+% of each of entire states of IN, OH, VA, TN, ME, SC, WV, MD, VT, NH, MA, HI, CT, DE, AND R, as well as

92% of NORTH CAROLINA, and

91% of FLORIDA.

The destruction in this burn is over 2.5 times the size of Manhattan. As if that weren’t horror enough, we’re learning about what the Los Angeles and State officials are really up to.

The acting mayor of LA, MARQUEECE JOHNSON, waited 6 1/2 HOURS after Pacific Palisades had become an inferno, to issue a Local State of Emergency! Johnson is LA City Council President, an elected official. Marqueece must have been told to wait. Who would DO this, if they cared a fig about their fellow man – and electorate, nonetheless?? Johnson apparently understands that there will be no more elections in LA, so he is not at all worried about being voted out of office or sent to jail for his malfeasance.

Seems a lot of Angelinos have voted for their own demise, through their almost religious beliefs in myopic constructs of a fish, a DEI hire and other Green New Deal garbage. To the rest of the rational world, this is incredibly hard to comprehend.

Keep reading

Why Was the Reservoir Supplying Pacific Palisades Empty?

There’s a funny scene in the film Smokey and the Bandit when Sheriff Buford T. Justice tells his son “Junior” to hand over his service revolver so that he can use it to shoot the fleeing Bandit’s tires. Junior obeys his father and hands over his pistol, but to Buford’s chagrin, the hammer falls on an empty chamber. When Buford asks why his son’s pistol isn’t loaded, Junior replies, “When I put bullets in it, daddy, it gets too heavy.”

I was reminded of this scene when I saw the news that the Santa Inez Reservoir, supplying backup water to Pacific Palisades, was empty during the fires.

Coincidentally, last April I attended a garden party in Pacific Palisades. The back patio of the magnificent (and now incinerated) home commanded a sweeping view of the hills, including the reservoir, and I noticed that the 117-million-gallon water storage facility was empty.

Note the cover in the above photograph from 2022. The rationale for the cover—the construction of which was completed in 2012—was to comply with EPA regulations.

Does it really take almost a year to repair a water tank’s cover? Or—following the same weird logic that Junior applied to leaving his revolver unloaded—did whoever is in charge of LA’s auxiliary water supply conclude that filling the reservoir would make the structure too wet?

As was just reported in the Los Angeles Times:

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered an independent investigation of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power over the loss of water pressure and the empty Santa Ynez Reservoir, calling it “deeply troubling.”

“We need answers to how that happened,” Newsom said in a letter to leaders of DWP and L.A. County Public Works.

DWP spokesperson Ellen Cheng said, “We appreciate the Governor’s letter and believe that an investigation will help identify any new needed capabilities for water systems to support fighting wildfires.”

Keep reading

LA’s Palisades Fire likely caused by humans in hiking area popular with teens: report

The Palisades Fire, the biggest and most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history, has “human origins” as a likely cause, according to a new report.

Authorities investigating the cause of the fire told the Los Angeles Times that they believe it was started by someone — possibly as an accident, sources told the Times.

Officials noted the trail is popular with hikers and is often used as a hangout by local teens and the fire may have “human origins,” according to the Times.

The area’s an overlook known as Skull Rock on the Temescal Ridge trail in Pacific Palisades. The blaze has consumed nearly 30,000 acres (47 square miles) and destroyed 5,000 structures since it was sparked nearly a week ago.

A small fire burned there on New Year’s Eve after apparently being started by fireworks, but was put out shortly after.

Keep reading