On New Year’s Eve 2024, an Uber driver named Jonathan Rinderknecht allegedly started a fire in the Pacific Palisades. The fire was quickly contained, but it lingered on underground as a “zombie fire.” Days later, fueled by Santa Ana Winds, it exploded into the Palisades Fire, the most destructive conflagration in Los Angeles history. A second fire, ignited just hours later, destroyed much of neighboring Altadena. In the aftermath, angry residents wanted accountability – but who is to blame for a fire when the earth is now a tinderbox?

Featured in this episode:

Brad Weisshaupt, LA County Fire Department

Traci Park, LA City Council

India Bradley

Nic Arnzen, Altadena Town Council

Daniel Swain, University of California

Sources:

The Los Angeles Times

KTLA 5 News

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