Palisades blaze reignites questions over fire response delays

According to findings from "The Washington Post," the Palisades fire broke out in the same place where firefighters had extinguished a blaze a week earlier. As we read, services were called to Pacific Palisades (a district of Los Angeles) just after midnight Eastern Time on New Year's Day due to a brush fire. Fireworks were said to be the source of the blaze. The fire was brought under control in about an hour.

Satellite images obtained by "The Washington Post" identified a fire trail on New Year's Eve. Additional photos taken on Tuesday, when the Palisades fire erupted, indicate that the smoke origin location matched that trail. According to residents of the district who spoke with the newspaper, this time the firefighters' response was not as quick as during the January 1st intervention. The fire raged for 45 minutes before a helicopter appeared. A witness reported that it had no water to extinguish the fire.

Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of any of the fires but have promised thorough investigations and to inform the public. According to one theory, the New Year's Eve fire might have continued to smoulder until it rekindled. The fire department, however, has stated that a crew checked the area and found no smouldering.

Thus far, the fires in California have killed at least 24 people and destroyed an estimated 40,000 hectares of land, 12,300 homes, and other buildings. Losses exceed 135 billion dollars, and 180,000 people have had to evacuate.

The mentioned Palisades fire is the largest of the fires in Los Angeles. It has destroyed 24,000 hectares. Meanwhile, the most tragic is the Eaton fire in Pasadena, which resulted in 16 deaths. Authorities state that fire risk may persist at least until Wednesday.