PACIFIC PALISADES—On January 7, 2025, a destructive wildfire broke out in the Santa Monica Mountains and quickly spread outward, destroying communities in the Pacific Palisades, as well as Topanga and Malibu. The cause of the fire has been under investigation by the city of Los Angeles. However, the city has been asked by federal prosecutors to delay the release of its report.
The reason for this is that federal prosecutors are conducting their investigation into the cause of the Pacific Palisades fire. In particular, they are seeking to determine whether the fire was connected to a second, and smaller, fire that occurred on New Year’s Day. This event was known as the Lachman fire, which the firefighters thought they had extinguished.
By Daniel Diquinzio