Palisades Fire Latest: Containment Now At 72%

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Containment of the Palisades fire is now up to 72% Thursday afternoon, with the burn size holding at 1,150 acres.

No buildings have been lost thus far, and all evacuation orders and warnings were lifted at 1 p.m. Tuesday. A firefighter suffered a minor eye injury, and other than that, no injuries have been reported.

"Firefighters patrolled throughout the night continuing to put out any remaining hot spots," the Los Angeles Fire Department reported early Thursday afternoon. "Winds across the Palisades Fire will increase from the southwest in the afternoon throughout Thursday evening."

Nicholas Prange of the LAFD also asked hikers and bicylclists to stay out of the area until the incident is fully resolved, in order to not interfere with firefighters.

"The Palisades Fire Incident Commanders request that all hikers and bicyclists please stay off trails that are near the burn footprint, for your safety and ours," Prange added. "We have 423 active fire personnel and large equipment that are navigating the narrow trails and fire roads."

Police arrested a homeless man accused of setting the fires Sunday afternoon. The man, identified as 48-year old Ramon Santo Rodriguez, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries related to smoke inhalation and is now being held on $350,000 bail, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

Rodriguez was charged Tuesday with one felony count each of arson of a structure or forest and arson during a state of emergency, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.
Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to the charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 1.

"Regarding the cause, it is labeled suspicious," Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said Monday. "The LAFD Arson Counterterrorism Section, along with LAPD, have aggressively pursued all tips and all leads. I want to have a special thank you to the community that provided us those tips and leads. We have to work together as a community. This problem is so significant in terms of major brush fires."

Police initially suspected arson after multiple "hot spots" broke out in a similar location LAFD said their helicopter pilots saw a man moving in the brush along a steep hillside near the fires on Saturday, and dispatched an LAPD helicopter to monitor.

"During an aerial observation, the Tactical Flight Officer witnessed the individual ignite multiple additional fires," the LAFD said. "Deputies were lowered into the brush to begin their search. Because the fires were growing rapidly, deputies were forced to retreat."

Around 11 a.m. Sunday, however, the man emerged from the brush in the 1200 block of Palisades Drive, and a private security officer notified LAPD and LAFD. Soon after, police arrived and arrested the man.

City Councilman Joe Buscaino, who is running for mayor in 2022, said the arrest shows the danger of the city's ongoing homelessness crisis.

"Our homelessness crisis is destroying neighborhoods and endangering the lives of the housed and unhoused," Buscaino said. "Over sixty percent of the fires that the LAFD has responded to this year have been related to homelessness. Allowing unregulated sprawling encampments is not compassionate, it's reckless. That's why we must act now on passing regulations that will return the rights of every Angeleno to enjoy our public spaces, and prohibit encampments whenever people are offered shelter. We must support safe and clean sidewalks, parks, and beaches. We must support a livable city where we can raise our children without being subjected rampant crime on our streets."

The fire began about 10 p.m. Friday in a hard-to-access canyon area in a remote area off Michael Lane and Palisades Court, the LAFD reported.
"By 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, fire was estimated at 15 acres," Terrazas said. "Unfortunately, by 4:30 p.m., an additional burn area emerged north of the original fire. Within about one hour, the fire grew to 750 acres. By 1 p.m. [Sunday],the fire was estimated at 1,325 acres with zero percent containment. We do anticipate being on scene for the next several days until we achieve 100 percent containment."

Terrazas said a fire this large sparking so early in the year amid relatively favorable conditions is an ominous sign for the 2021 fire season.

"[Sunday] when I woke up, it was raining out here," Terrazas said. "And the fire is still burning. That's unusual fire behavior. Our relative humidity was 60%, our wind speed was under 10 mph, but we still had an active fire. That tells you that the drought, the years that have gone by since the last fire, have changed the equation. We have to all work together."

Topanga Elementary Charter School, at 22075 Topanga School Road, reopened Wednesday after closing due to air quality and safety concerns caused by the Palisades fire, the Los Angeles Unified School District reported.

Councilmember Mike Bonin thanked the firefighters for their work against the fire during a Monday morning press conference with LAFD, although his words were hard to hear over boos and chants of "Recall Bonin" from people unhappy with his plan to turn part of Will Rogers State Beach parking lot into a secure campsite for homeless residents.

"We have had over the past several years a number of major fires here in the Santa Monica Canyons, in the hillsides of this district," Bonin said. "Each fire has been different, each fire has presented unique circumstances, and each time we have seen the men and women of LAFD and sister agencies take to the task with bravery, and steely determination."

City News Service contributed to this report.