Trying to pare old emails from my inbox, this editor came across an email I received on December 20, 2024, from a reader.
The resident wrote: “The explosions occurred last night for five minutes, beginning at 1:41 a.m. This was just one of the booms. Check out the large plume of smoke.
“It was a group of teens who drove into the park, lit multiple explosives, then left. We are trying to use chat GPT to decipher their conversation.
The park (and LAPD) continue to sit on their hands. Imagine if one of these explosions sparked a fire? None of us who surround the park would have time to get out of our homes.
Then a little over a week later, the following alert went out from LAFD:
01-01-2025 12:17am 1699 Via Las Palmas
Approximately 3-4 acres of heavy brush burning under 15mph winds. LAFD Air Ops is unable to fly due to weather conditions. LACoFD is sending Copter 22. Firefighters have been making their way via ground to the isolated areas. LA County Fire is also sending four camp crews to cut line. Firefighters are in place to defend at least one home. There are no widespread evacuations at this time.
Thirty minutes later visibility had improved and three LAFD helicopters joined LACoFD Copter 22 in making continuous water drops. “LAFD firefighters on the ground and LACoFD Hand Crews are making good progress,” Stewart wrote. “There are no structures damaged, no injuries reported and currently no evacuation orders in place.”
At 4:46, Steward reported that firefighters completed the hose line around the perimeter of the fire and that it was fully contained. The mop up operation continued to ensure no flare ups. The fire was held at eight acres, no structures were damaged, and no injuries reported.
Since the area where the fire started is a hiking area in Topanga State Park and isolated from traffic, CTN asked Stewart about the fire source: about the possibility of fireworks, since residents reported loud bangs and fireworks before, during and after New Year’s Eve in town.
One resident wrote on a social media site that “Even with a sizable fire ongoing in the Highlands, I can hear more fireworks down here in town. Parents, if you have teenagers still out and about, call them and make sure you know where they are and what they are doing.”
Stewart said no cause of the fire had been determined.
A week later, on January 7, the Palisades Fire destroyed about half of the Palisades. It will be five months in June and still no cause has been given.