LOS ANGELES (AP) — Investigators are studying a range of possible ignition sources for Huge fires Which she has At least 10 people were killed And destroy it Thousands of homes and businesses In the Los Angeles area.
In the upscale mountainous area of Pacific Palisades, home to Hollywood stars like Jamie Lee Curtis and Billy Crystal Who lost their homes in the fireofficials located the origin of the fire caused by winds behind a house on Pedra Morada Road, which sits above a densely wooded arroyo.
While lightning is the most common source of fires in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association, investigators were able to quickly rule that out. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the area surrounding the Eaton Fire, which started in eastern Los Angeles County and also destroyed hundreds of homes.
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The next two most common causes: fires that are started intentionally, and those started by utility lines.
John Lentini, owner of Scientific Fire Analysis in Florida, who has investigated large fires in California including the Oakland Hills fire in 1991, said the size and scope of the fire does not change the approach to determining its cause.
“This was once a small fire,” Lentini said. “People will focus on where the fire started, they will identify the source, look around the source and determine the cause.”
So far there has been no official indication of arson in either fire, and utility lines have not been identified as a cause either.
Utilities are required to notify the California Public Utilities Commission when they learn of “electrical incidents potentially related to wildfires,” Terry Prosper, the commission’s director of communications, said via email. CPUC staff then investigates to see if there are violations of state law.
the 2017 Thomas FireInvestigators determined that one of the largest fires in state history was sparked by Southern California Edison power lines that came into contact during high winds. The fire killed two people and charred more than 440 square miles (1,140 square kilometers), according to an investigation by the Ventura County Fire Department.
So far no such reports for current fires have been posted on the CPUC website that tracks such recordings.
While lightning, arson, and utility lines are the most common causes, burning debris and fireworks are also common.
But fires are instigated by countless sources, including accidents.
In 2021, a couple Gender reveal trick A large fire began that burned approximately 36 square miles (about 90 square kilometers) of land, destroyed five homes and 15 other structures and claimed the life of firefighter Charlie Morton.
The Eaton and Palisades fires were still burning with little containment on Thursday. The winds calmed, but no rain was in the forecast as the fire moved across miles of dry land.
“It will turn off when it runs out of fuel, or when the weather stops,” Lentini said. “They’re not going to turn this thing off until it’s ready to go out.”
