The Cause ?

Back on Halloween of this year there was a wildfire in San Diego. Luckily there were no concomitant Santa Ana winds and within an hour or so this fire was contained and subsequently extinguished. A friend of mine had that wildfire come right up to his back fence. Yes, it was a close call. The cause of that wildfire was a homeless encampment. For even though it does not freeze here in San Diego, it does get cold at night. The nighttime cold temps as well as the need to have a fire for cooking are the two main reasons that the homeless encampments have fires.
At this point no one knows what started the horrendous L.A. fire in Pacific Palisades. In general the more common reasons for wildfires include lightning, arson, downed power lines, and campfires which get out of control. At this point we know that there was no lightning, and there is no evidence that arson was involved. There is a suspicion by some that arcing between power lines may have been involved, but nothing definitive at this point. In terms of causal possibilities, what are we left with?
Could a campfire in a homeless encampment have been the prime cause in conjunction with the Santa Ana winds? I guess that only time will tell. However remember that the vast majority of homeless are not up-to-date on the latest info on the Santa Ana winds, and wildfires caused by homeless campers are not rare in SoCal.
From PJMedia
Here are just a few recent wildfires started by drug-addled “homeless” campers.
* Jan 7, 2025: Santa Ana Riverbed Fire one acre, destroyed tents, RVs, and at least 12 cars.
* Nov. 14, 2024: Van Nuys, impacted commuters on freeways throughout San Fernando Valley.
* May 2024: Hollywood Boulevard, aforementioned electrical fire, threatened nearby buildings.
* Jan. 7, 2024: Hollywood, Cahuenga Pass, during high winds. Two cars and some trees were destroyed.
* April 20, 2021: Venice Beach, one home was destroyed and a dog killed. Believed linked to a string of homeless encampment fires in the area.
Keep in mind that Gavin Newsom’s plan to help the homeless has resulted in not only missing and unaccounted for billions of dollars, but also a nearly doubling of the homeless population in California.
It will certainly take months to figure out the cause of the Palisades fire, but could it be in the future that this fire will be what Gavin Newsom is mostly remembered for?
1/13/25