LOS ANGELES — Researchers are considering a range of possible ignition sources for the huge fires who have at least 10 people killed and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area.
In the hilly, chic Pacific Palisades, home to Hollywood stars such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Billy Crystal who lost homes in the fireOfficials have placed the origin of the wind-swept fire behind a home on Piedra Morada Drive, which sits above a densely wooded arroyo.
Although lightning is the most common source of fires in the US, researchers were able to quickly rule it out, according to the National Fire Protection Association. There were no reports of lightning strikes in the Palisades area or the terrain surrounding the Eaton fire, which started in eastern Los Angeles County and also destroyed hundreds of homes.
The next two most common causes: fires that are intentionally set and fires that are started by utility lines.
John Lentini, owner of Scientific Fire Analysis in Florida, who has investigated major fires in California, including the 1991 Oakland Hills fire, said the size and scope of the fire doesn’t change the approach to finding out what caused it. .
“This was once a small fire,” Lentini said. “People will focus on where the fire started, determine the origin and look around the origin and determine the cause.”
So far, there has been no official indication of arson in either fire, and utility lines have not yet been identified as the cause.
Utilities are required to report to the California Public Utilities Commission if they know of “electrical incidents that may be related to a wildfire,” Terrie Prosper, communications director for the commission, said via email. CPUC staff then investigates whether there were any violations of state law.
The Thomas Fire 2017one of the largest fires in state history was caused by Edison power lines in Southern California that came into contact during high winds, researchers determined. The fire killed two people and charred more than 400 square miles, according to the investigation led by the Ventura County Fire Department.
So far, no such reports on the current fires have been posted on the CPUC website that tracks such reports.
Although lightning, arson and utility lines are the most common causes, debris burning and fireworks are also common causes.
But fires are caused by numerous sources, including accidents.
In 2021 a couple gender reveal stunt caused a major fire that burned nearly 60 square miles of land, destroyed five homes and fifteen other buildings, and claimed the life of a firefighter, Charlie Morton.
The fires in Eaton and Palisades were still burning Thursday with little to no containment. The wind subsided, but no rain was forecast as the flames moved through miles of dry landscape.
“It turns off when the fuel runs out, or when the weather stops,” Lentini said. “They’re not going to bring that thing out until it’s ready to go out.”