By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter says he alerted command to lingering hot spots at the site of the Feb. 10 Palisades wildfire before it reignited and burned homes.
• The fire began Feb. 6 near Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway and destroyed more than 150 structures, killing at least three people.
• Firefighters held backburn operations Feb. 9 due to weather, and crews reported potential hotspots after containment efforts.
• The blaze re-intensified Feb. 10 amid dry, windy conditions and spread into residential areas of Pacific Palisades.
• Investigations into the cause of the fire’s growth and response operations are ongoing.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighter said he conveyed concerns about lingering hot spots to command before the Feb. 10 escalation of the Palisades wildfire that destroyed homes and caused multiple fatalities, according to department and news reports.
The fire originated Feb. 6 near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades area amid strong Santa Ana winds and dry conditions, eventually burning more than 150 structures and killing at least three people, according to multiple media reports.
Fire crews conducted containment and backburn operations Feb. 9, but officials pulled back planned work due to weather and hazardous terrain; firefighters on scene reported areas with potential lingering heat, a member of the LAFD told FireRescue1.
The firefighter said he repeatedly communicated to command that specific locations were not fully extinguished and could rekindle, but conditions shifted with dry winds Feb. 10 and the fire intensified into adjacent residential neighborhoods.
LAFD officials have acknowledged the extreme behavior of the fire and said operations focused on structure protection and line reinforcement; formal inquiries into the fire’s progression and response decisions are underway.