It is the one thing everyone is desperate to know: how did these fires start? Many have begun to fill in the gaps themselves. Blame has shifted upon arsonists, utility companies, and even a fire days prior. Investigators are following any possible leads in the hopes that something will be able to explain why LA saw two of the most destructive fire disasters in US history on the seventh of January.
The first trace of the Palisades Fire may have been spotted by hikers on a frequented trial in Temescal Canyon. In a series of videos posted online, the hikers show a small cloud of smoke starting from a hill as they navigated through the canyon, desperate to escape. These hikers were accused of starting the fires by many who watched the videos, but this is unlikely.
Investigators have begun speaking to firefighters who responded to a fire days earlier that sparked in the same canyon. A common theory holds that this small fire on January first was never fully extinguished and just reignited on the seventh as winds started up again. Some argue, however, that the two fires could never be connected since they were nearly a week apart.
Utility providers are commonly blamed for California’s worst fires, and they are yet again accused of causing this one. There have already been at least five lawsuits filed against Southern California Edison; the power provider that owns a tower seen in early footage of the fire. However, the company says it has not found any evidence that its equipment was responsible for the fire. They claim there were no interruptions in the 12 hours prior to the fire’s reported start time until more than one hour after the alleged start time of the fire.
Clearly, there are too many possibilities of a cause to be sure right now. There are countless theories and investigations commencing, trying desperately to find the source of these devastating fires. There is always the possibility that the fire was spurred on by natural causes, but some refuse to believe this until all other options are ruled out. Unfortunately, this mystery will take time to solve, possibly up to a year.
