Unveiling the Palisades Inferno: Shocking Footage Reveals Days of Smoldering Before Devastation

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In a startling twist to the Pacific Palisades fire narrative, newly surfaced video footage is casting doubt on the official story behind the catastrophic blaze that claimed 12 lives and razed over 6,800 structures. This evidence suggests that the fire, which erupted into one of the most devastating wildfires in U.S. history, may have been smoldering unnoticed for days, despite multiple 911 alerts from alarmed hikers.

The video, recorded on January 2nd at 11:30 a.m., shows smoke wafting from the brush in the Pacific Palisades—five days before the fire dramatically flared up again on January 7th. This contradicts federal authorities’ assertions that the initial fire, thought to be fully extinguished after New Year’s Day, left behind embers that quietly burned beneath thick vegetation, escaping detection.

The narrative from officials centers on Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of deliberately setting the blaze on January 1st. Firefighters responded swiftly, extinguishing what was labeled the Lachman Fire. Yet, the newly emerged footage depicts a different reality, capturing the fire still smoldering 36 hours after being declared out, with not a single firefighter or hose in sight.

Roger Behle, an attorney advocating for those affected by the fire, stated, “When we heard federal officials claim that the embers from the Lachman Fire went unnoticed, we knew that wasn’t accurate.” This revelation is prompting renewed scrutiny and questions about the fire’s management and the response efforts that followed.

“When we heard the federal officials announce that the Lachman Fire embers continue to burn undetected, we knew that that wasn’t accurate,” Roger Behle, an attorney representing Palisades fire victims, told .

Behle said multiple hikers who witnessed smoke rising from the ground called 911, but no one was dispatched to investigate.

Hikers called 911 about smoke, but no crews were dispatched to investigate

“Several people in the area that hike that area frequently, when they saw smoke, called 911,” Behle said. “And ultimately, we know that no one was dispatched to the area to investigate in response to those 911 calls.”

Kenny Cooper, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Los Angeles office, said in October the blaze was “a holdover fire” that burned “undetected until catastrophic weather ensued.”

But attorneys for fire victims say the state bears responsibility for failing to monitor its property after the initial fire, especially with a red flag high wind warning in effect.

“The fire rekindled on state land, and because the state had an obligation to go out and inspect its property to make sure there were no dangerous conditions like smoldering embers after the Lachman Fire, after reports of smoke coming out of the ground,” Behle said. “The buck stops with the state.”

Attorneys say state failed to monitor embers on its property after first fire

Michael Castillo, a retired battalion chief and 40-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department, agreed the state should have monitored the area more closely.

“The ultimate responsibility would lie with whoever owns that property, ultimately,” Castillo said. “That would be, in this case, the state. There’s no doubt about it. They’re the property owner that buck stops with them.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he predeployed assets to the area before the fire, but CAL FIRE confirmed not a single fire truck was predeployed to the Palisades.

“There is a breakdown in the command structure at the highest levels of the state of California,” Castillo said.

A spokesperson for Newsom’s office disputed the allegations, calling the lawsuit against the state “baseless”:

This suit against the State is baseless. The State didn’t start this fire (that was an arsonist) and the State wasn’t responsible for responding to or monitoring this fire, but opportunistic plaintiffs’ attorneys are now going after the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

However, both the ATF’s conclusion and a legal land survey conducted by Behle’s team indicate the fire did originate on state property, setting up what appears to be a key dispute that will be decided in court.