During an interview for a documentary regarding the Palisades Fire, an interviewer asked, “What could be done do with 100-mph wind speeds?”
To which this editor responded, “How do you know the wind speeds? Were they measured?” The interviewer said, “Good question.” But, he didn’t know the answer.
Palisades Resident Michael Kureth asked the same question, followed up and reported his results this week on a local social media platform. CTN is sharing his results.
“The interactive map presents wind speed and gust data observed on January 7, 2025, during the Palisades Fire,” Kureth said. “This map visualizes meteorological conditions and Cal Fire’s fire data between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the critical window during which the fire could have been contained.”
Kureth used the fire’s origin point at latitude 34.07022 and longitude -118.54453, and looked at 48 nearby weather stations with wind data that were included to provide localized insight into wind speed and gusts through an interactive timeline. There were 14 stations that did not report weather data during this period and were excluded to maintain accuracy and clarity. click here.
Weather station RECORDS not estimates, highlight the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. period when Cal Fire reported the fire was 200 acres.
In his report Kureth wrote: “This report critically examines the weather conditions surrounding the January 7, 2025, Pacific Palisades fire to assess whether claims of unmanageable, unprecedented, or climate change driven conditions are supported by factual data.
“Drawing from 48 regional weather stations, historical wind records, drought trends, and official forecasts, the analysis finds that the fire occurred under conditions that were historically consistent, predictable, and well within the thresholds of manageable wildfire behavior.
“Climate change had no demonstrable impact on this specific event, as both the wind patterns and drought conditions align with long-established Southern California climate cycles. Contrary to public assertions, the fire did not burn under hurricane-force winds, nor did it unfold during a record-breaking drought.
“By analyzing environmental data, including wind speeds, historical comparisons, drought frequency, and the availability of early warnings, this report aims to provide a data-driven foundation for evaluating the emergency response and policy accountability surrounding the event.” https://firerebuild.com/palisades-fire-weather-report-and-analysis/#h-interactive-wind-speed-and-gust-map
Kureth was asked why he looked at wind records. He said, “I started looking everything up because I was questioning what I missed or did wrong that day.”
Early in the day trash collection occurred for all three bins between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
His family and children left at 4 p.m. even though there had been no evacuation order, but there were still people on the block. (Residents on Radcliffe also did not receive evacuation orders.) Kureth like many in the bluff area, assumed they’d be home the next day. When they left, they didn’t see a single firefighter or police officer.
Kureth wrote, “The point of mentioning an evacuation order and neighbors staying behind is that the last fatality was reported at the end of January. Our debris removal crew mentioned that in one of 20 homes they cleared, a body was found.
“If thousands of homes were lost and the fire temperature was higher than cremation, it angers me that more people were killed in the fire than may have been reported,” he said.
“Accountability should be held for what was done and what was failed to do,” Kureth said and added, “I do not want to see the community burn again if we rebuild. My fiancée lost her home in Woolsey and we lost the Palisades home less than 60 days after moving into it.”
Day #144 without official after action report and timeline
The video at the head of article shows very little wind on Temescal. I guess the time is around 11:30 on 1/7/2025
We received READY notification around 11AM and we moved to the Huntington.
When I returned on 1/8/2025 there was moderate wind.
Terrific reporting! It wasn’t “hurricane winds” “the mayor was in Africa” or “we didn’t have water” that was at fault for this disaster. It was that the LA Fire Department didn’t get between a simple brush fire and the rest of us. Fires will burn fuel as long as there’s no one there to put it out, and for three days the LAFD decide to passively watch the fire SLOWLY creep along until it cremated most of our town. I was in the Temescal Canyon fire break for two hours with another fellow trying to stop the fire from crossing on the afternoon on the first day of the fire. It wasn’t a “firestorm” event. It was a slow-moving ash drift moving at perhaps 30 knots. It took at least two hours to cross. Had just 2-3 trucks been in this firebreak with its 40,000 gallons of pool water at one end and the Pacific on the other end. the fire would have stopped right there.
I appreciate reading the data. I am surprised, however. I first saw the smoke at 10:45 AM from Sunset near Drummond. It was frightening, particularly since it was blowing horizontally, at 90 degrees from vertical. I knew this was bad. I then was able to see the fire line, from my house in the upper Huntington, as it jumped down the hills, with large green bands of foliage in between. We did get a texted evacuation order around 12:30. We left around 1:30, taking little with us. We also lost everything. I do question the initial fire response, but I also don’t know why the wind speed data is so different from my personal experience.
We lived on Piedra Morada in the Highlands. Around 9am the morning of Jan. 7th, I was outside. It was trash pick up day and we along with our neighbors had our trash cans on the street. The wind was so strong the lids of many of our trash cans had blown off and there was garbage literally swirling in a vortex in the middle of our cul-de-sac. Debris/dirt was flying into my eyes. My neighbor was trying to walk her dog and gave up. She said she had lived in the Highlands for 40 years and had never experienced wind like that. I grew up the South along the coast and have ridden out several hurricanes. The wind that morning to me seemed to be hurricane strength but it was different. Hotter, meaner, chaotic, and not consistent. It was unpredictable, unsettling, and scary. Not long after, we saw smoke coming from the very same location where the New Year’s fire started. From our backyard we have an unobstructed view across the canyon towards Skull Rock. I will never understand why that area was not being closely monitored. I will never understand why our reservoir was empty. The news had been reporting the upcoming wind event, we all knew it was coming.