What caused the deadly fires in California? Researchers study several possibilities

Investigators were considering a number of possible ignition sources for the huge fires that have killed at least 10 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area.

In the exclusive hills of Pacific Palisades, home to Hollywood stars such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Billy Crystal — both of whom lost homes to the fire — officials have located the source of flames that were fanned by strong winds behind a home on Piedra Morada Drive, over a stream with a high density of trees.

Although lightning is the most common cause of fires in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association, researchers were able to quickly rule them out. No lightning strikes have been reported in the Palisades area or in areas surrounding the Eaton Fire, which started in eastern Los Angeles County and has also destroyed hundreds of homes.

The next two most common causes are: those caused intentionally and those caused by power lines.

John Lentini, owner of Scientific Fire Analysis in Florida, who has investigated large fires in California such as the Oakland Hills fire in 1991, noted that the size and magnitude of the fire does not change the approach to finding out what caused it.

“This was previously a small fire,” he said. “People will focus on where it started, determine the origin, and revisit the origin to determine the cause.”

At the moment there were no official indications that any of the fires had been set and the power lines have not been pointed out as the cause.

Utility companies must inform the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) when they become aware of “electrical incidents possibly linked to a wildfire,” said Terrie Prosper, the commission’s communications director. by email. CPUC staff then investigates those cases to see if state law was violated.

The 2017 Thomas Fire, one of the largest fires in state history, was sparked by Southern California Edison power lines coming into contact due to high winds, according to investigators. That fire claimed the lives of two people and devastated more than 440 square miles (1,140 square kilometers), according to the investigation led by the Ventura County Fire Department.

The CPUC website, which monitors such files, has not published similar reports about active fires.

While lightning, arson, and power lines are the most common causes, burning debris and fireworks also commonly cause fires.

But they can start for multiple reasons, including accidents.

In 2021, a couple’s stunt contract to reveal the gender of their unborn baby caused a massive fire that devastated nearly 90 square kilometers (36 square miles), destroyed five homes and 15 other buildings, and claimed the life of a firefighter. Charlie Morton.

The Eaton and Palisades fires continued to burn Thursday with little containment. The winds have calmed, but the forecast does not contemplate rain as the flames continue their advance through kilometers of dry landscape.

“It will shut down when it runs out of fuel, or when the weather slows it down,” Lentini said. “They’re not going to turn that thing off until it’s ready to turn off.”

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