Revelry to tragedy: Toll 24; Did NYE fireworks trigger the LA wildfires?
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: How did the Palisades Fires start in Los Angeles, California, USA, which gutted properties worth more than USD 150 billion and killed at least 24 people in the last 14 days?
Some reports now point to the continuous fireworks by the revelers on New Year’s Eve, according to the media reports on Monday.
In the satellite image captured 20 minutes after the Palisades Fire broke out, the smoke was seen rising from the same area where the fire had started on New Year’s Eve. These fireworks, lit by many on New Year’s Eve, may have sparked the devastating Palisades Fire amid high winds which quickly spread it to other areas.
Strong and wild winds may have reignited the remnants fire which broke out on New Year’s Eve, six days after it was doused, reported The Washington Post.
With the help of radio communications, satellite images, videos, and some interviews, the media outlet found that the deadly Palisades Fire had started in the same area where the firefighters had doused the fire that got caught because of the fireworks.
When the second blaze broke out, the firefighters were slow in response and it soon turned out to be the most destructive wildfire in the history of California.
Locals complained to the newspaper that first responders took a lot of time to respond to the Palisades Fire when it first started on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
The firefighters responded the first time swiftly but were much slower the second time. The Las Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters were at that time tackling fires in other parts of the city.
The locals saw a helicopter carrying water, flying and trying to respond to the conflagration but it failed because of the high winds. Another helicopter took 45 minutes to reach the site but it did not have any water.
The satellite images taken 20 minutes after the Palisades Fire started indicated that the smoke had risen from the same area where there was a burn scar from the New Year’s Eve fire.
One resident has claimed that the wildfire was started on New Year’s Eve by some “idiots.”
He claimed that the fireworks were lit off by people late at night to celebrate New Year, something they were not supposed to do.
However, there is no definitive evidence or report that claims that the Palisades Fire’s origin lies in the New Year’s Eve blaze and the investigators are still looking for the cause.
