LOS ANGELES — As the scorched hills of Pacific Palisades continue to smolder and storms approach, investigators are racing to uncover the origins of the devastating Jan. 7 fire that claimed 11 lives , destroying more than 6,800 buildings.
Covering up to 10 miles of terrain every day, They collected more than 235 clues in their search for answers and turned their attention to a suspicious fire that broke out in the same area days earlier.
The investigation targeted a charred ridgeline above an exclusive community known as "The Highlands," which sits on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The area is close to a smaller fire that the Los Angeles Fire Department said was contained in the early hours of Jan. 1, just six days after the catastrophic blaze erupted on Jan. 7.
Earlier this week, yellow caution tape blocked access to the trailhead From the highlands, head to the popular hiking area of Topanga State Park. Many homes around the trail were not affected by the fire. But just blocks away, the charred remains of once-grand homes and blackened trees dot the landscape.
About 75 staff members from local, state and federal agencies gathered around the state park, which is known for its stunning ocean views and famous landmarks such as the eponymous Skull Rock monolith and the Small Buddha sculpture.
According to the Los Angeles office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, both locations were located in close proximity to the two fires, making them points of particular interest in the investigation.
The Los Angeles Fire Department referred all questions about the Jan. 1 and Jan. 7 fires to the ATF.
No homes were damaged or destroyed on January 1st. fire, but ATF investigators are exploring possible links to the Jan. 7 blaze. They are also investigating other man-made causes such as arson, fireworks and unauthorized camping.
As of Sunday, more than 84% of the fire was under control. The fire has burned more than 23,440 acres so far and continues to spread nearly three weeks later.
"We will leave no stone unturned," said Ginger Colburn, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, outside the agency's temporary command center on Pacific Coast Highway. While Colburn declined to confirm a direct link between the fires, she stressed that investigators were analyzing all the data, adding that there was "no reason not to go back" and investigate both incidents.
Highland residents reported hearing fireworks before a small fire broke out in neighboring wildland on New Year's Eve. Shortly after midnight on January 1, firefighters received a call from a resident who lived about two blocks from the Skull Rock Trailhead. The fire was extinguished by 5 a.m., and firefighters remained at the scene, NBC Los Angeles and residents reported. Firefighters were seen and heard hours later.
That fire was largely forgotten until January 7, when smoke appeared again in the mountains and canyons surrounding the Highlands. Firefighters received a call from another resident who lived about three minutes away. Address from caller who reported the January 1 fire. Both homes have backyards that face Temescal Ridge Trail, one of several local hiking trails that lead to Skull Rock.
Now, investigators from local, state and federal agencies are piecing together a complex puzzle. They reviewed more than 85 hours of video footage Colburn said, combing through social media posts from hikers and park visitors.
Amy Masi, a U.S. Forest Service fire investigator who was not involved in the case, described the painstaking process undertaken by forensic experts.
"To understand the causes and origins of wildfires, an approach similar to solving a mystery is used," she said.
The Forest Service is responsible for training ATF in wildfire analysis, and the service has three investigators working with the service on the Palisades Fire investigation.
Ed Nordskog, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's fire investigator who is not involved in the case, said that like detectives, fire investigators will observe the scene and narrow the search area, preferably to 25 square feet. area.
They then divided the area into a grid of zones, each about 4 square feet in size. Evidence collected by investigators could include footprints, remains of campfires, ashes from lightning strikes or burned electrical equipment, he said.
With the help of magnets, metal detectors and magnifying glasses, investigators can search for even the smallest evidence, such as fragments of melted mechanical parts, match heads, glass and fireworks remnants.
Dogs are specially trained to sniff out traces of accelerants, and investigators carefully follow signs of nearby electrical equipment, such as fences or utility poles, or gas-powered vehicles, which are more likely to overheat and start fires than electric vehicles. The evidence is then sent to a research laboratory for processing to determine its age.
"That's what fire science is. It's a science, but there's an element of art," said Scott Sweetow, a former ATF fire investigator. "People think fire destroys everything. That's not the case."
Burning patterns on rocks, brush and debris provide clues to investigators who can determine how the fire moved and trace it back to its point of origin.
Matt Brossard said the process can be daunting. He is a former Forest Service investigator and now a business representative for the National Federation of Federal Employees.
Broussard, who is not involved in the investigation but helps train ATF agents in wildfire analysis, said inspecting an area like Topanga State Park can be particularly complex because of its terrain and popularity.
"Whether there is any physical evidence left depends on weather conditions and what material was ignited first," he said. "If it's in grass, it's easy for us to find things in grass and thick brush. But in places where the temperatures are very, very high, your evidence deteriorates because it burns longer and more intensely."
Unusually dry weather led to the Jan. 7 fire, and the six days between the first and second fires may provide investigators with important clues. Embers may lodge deep into tree roots and become covered in a thick layer of ash. In that case, Broussard said, embers could continue to burn underground and be blown away during storms.
He said the Forest Service uses infrared and other technologies to monitor brush fires for days and even weeks after they are contained.
But Sweetow said the relatively light vegetation in the Pacific Palisades area and the six days leading up to the Jan. 7 fire made the chance of a rekindle "very slim."
"That's a question a lot of people have," he said. "Our investigators are definitely going to get it."