So Cal Fires (1 Viewer)

[rockaction]

I live in SoCal and this is heartbreaking to watch the news. I know eventually these discussions turn to policy/climate change issues, but how about we hold off on that unless you’re very much an expert in policy or know what exactly is going on with the climate.

I have not been immediately affected by this, but I still may be and the repercussions of this will be felt state- and nation-wide. It’s a tragedy that even the news folks haven’t wrapped their heads around yet. When everybody sobers up and begins to come to grips, there’s some real ****in’ damage here. I mean, it's akin to Spicoli smacking his head against his Vans and going “that’s my skull” kind of damage.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

No rain in forecast for remainder of 10 days and seemingly thru Jan. Red flag winds next week again. Will get worse before it gets better

Maybe. This was an anomaly. Been here for 50+ years. I’ve never seen this before. the 93 Laguna beach fire whipped through a neighborhood like these fires.. There was a small one a couple years ago across the canyon from me. 10-20 huge homes burned. The insane winds and super dry landscape just created the perfect conditions. Unreal.

Hopefully they get the Runyon canyon flare up under control quickly. 50 acres as of 30 minutes ago. This is in the Hollywood hills.

 

[squistion]

I live in L.A. and the Altadena fire is about 8 miles from me. With the high winds my power went out at 3AM last night, and at 6AM I got an evacuation notice on my cell phone (I am not close to the foothills and couldn't see the fires from where I'm at, so I wasn't that concerned and didn't leave). The power was off for 17 hours and came on again a little after 8PM tonight.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I’m about 1.5 hours south, Laguna beach area. It was ridiculously windy last night. My neighbors 3’ in diameter decorative pot with a 4 foot tree in it somehow blew into the middle of the street. Has to weigh 2-3 hundred pounds.

Didn't realize that's where you are. Just left this morning. Crazy winds last night and this am. Last night's sunset covered in smog, and it's, what, 45 miles from the nearest fire?

Saw half a dozen overturned semis on the drive back. Looked like the makings of a fire starting near riverside (university) as we were driving out. Smoke everywhere. Just sad. Thoprawishes to all of you who are there or have loved ones there.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I live in L.A. and the Altadena fire is about 8 miles from me. With the high winds my power when out at 3AM last night, and at 6AM I got an evacuation notice on my cell phone (I am not close to the foothills and couldn't see the fires from where I'm at, so I wasn't that concerned and didn't leave). The power was off for 17 hours and came on again a little after 8PM toniight.

Are you west or east of Altadena. I’m so happy my parents decided to come down to live by me. They were in Arcadia for a few years before coming down to SoCal.

 

[dkp993]

Crazy people running california played a big part in this. Cut the fire dpt budgets down and diverted rivers to save some fish.

Good to see we're keeping politics out of this.

Come on, we all know (insert your preferred hated political party) is obviously to blame for the record breaking dry spell and Santa Ana winds.

 

[squistion]

I live in L.A. and the Altadena fire is about 8 miles from me. With the high winds my power when out at 3AM last night, and at 6AM I got an evacuation notice on my cell phone (I am not close to the foothills and couldn't see the fires from where I'm at, so I wasn't that concerned and didn't leave). The power was off for 17 hours and came on again a little after 8PM toniight.

Are you west or east of Altadena. I’m so happy my parents decided to come down to live by me. They were in Arcadia for a few years before coming down to SoCal.

West of Altadena in La Crescenta.

 

[Ridgeback]

Crazy people running california played a big part in this. Cut the fire dpt budgets down and diverted rivers to save some fish.

Crazy people running california played a big part in this. Cut the fire dpt budgets down and diverted rivers to save some fish.

How about keeping the political bs out of this conversation about facts and reality?

 

[Yo Mama]

I live in L.A. and the Altadena fire is about 8 miles from me. With the high winds my power when out at 3AM last night, and at 6AM I got an evacuation notice on my cell phone (I am not close to the foothills and couldn't see the fires from where I'm at, so I wasn't that concerned and didn't leave). The power was off for 17 hours and came on again a little after 8PM toniight.

Are you west or east of Altadena. I’m so happy my parents decided to come down to live by me. They were in Arcadia for a few years before coming down to SoCal.

West of Altadena in La Crescenta.

Hey, that’s where I grew up and went to high school. Best of luck there. We lived up in the hills there and had to evacuate when I was younger. Scary stuff.

 

[Chaos34]

Mandeville Canyon now. I used to have a view of it. If the fire crosses the canyon it's just a long steep uphill fuel loaded hill to that place and the 405 is a block or so away.

 

[Chaos34]

Mandeville Canyon now. I used to have a view of it. If the fire crosses the canyon it's just a long steep uphill fuel loaded hill to that place and the 405 is a block or so away.

that would endanger the other getty museum. i guess those places are the most prepared.

 

[Pigskin Fanatic]

The latest Sunset fire started inside a house and then spread through neighboring houses then into the hollywood hills. Already 10+ acres burned in the last few hours. This one is just south and west of Griffith Park. I'm not a conspiracy guy but this one doesn't sound like a coincidence. My neighborhood app claiming arson is suspected, but not confirmed.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Thoughts are with you guys in LA. I was in Santa Monica for Thanksgiving and drove past the Palisades on the way to Santa Barbara. I can't believe those houses are gone.

Also, I can't get over how certain media sources and people are blaming government officials for wild fires and fire hydrants running out of water. It's unbelievable the misinformation being spread WHILE PEOPLES HOUSES ARE STILL ON FIRE!

 

[Judge Smails]

The aftermath shots are unimaginable. If this were every 20 years or so that would be one thing. But it’s not. People forget the monstrous fire in Camarillo just months ago. Entire neighborhoods taken out. Got to a block from my son’s house.

Malibu is the worst place you can be. Fire after fire follows the prevailing wind straight to the beach. Pure wind tunnel with nothing but fuel from the Santa Monica mountains. Santa Ana’s hit hard in Ventura County. Have to rethink Thousand Oaks. Don’t see this fading anytime soon.

 

[Clown Car]

My daughter lives on Hollywood blvd about 2 miles from the sunset fire. I had no idea this was going on. She says she has an evac plan but I don’t know what it is. I’ve sat through tens of hurricanes over my lifetime. I will take them over fires any day.

 

[FarFromHome]

Just heartbreaking stuff.

 

[Wingnut]

Crazy Ariel view of Palisades before and after

x.com

twitter.com

 

[BobbyLayne]

Crazy people running california played a big part in this. Cut the fire dpt budgets down and diverted rivers to save some fish.

Uh no.

This is what the bots on X are spreading.

Millions of views spreading lies about the Palisades firefighters lacking water because of regulations, the boring truth comes late like usual and wont be shared.

Here it is:

1 - Reservoirs and water tanks were at normal levels and completely full before the fire.

2 - All 114 city water supply tanks were fully stocked pre-fire.

3 - A 15-hour surge at four times normal demand reduced water pressure.

4 - High demand at lower elevations slowed refilling tanks at higher elevations.

5 - This unprecedented fire was fueled by 8 months of no rain and 85 MPH winds. Water is being brought in continuously.

6 - Even if, the protection of the Delta Smelt caused over regulation by California, it's the FEDERAL Endangered Species Act that requires the protection of endangered species like the Delta Smelt and their habitats, not Gavin Newsom or California.

 

[Harry Frogfish]

No rain in forecast for remainder of 10 days and seemingly thru Jan. Red flag winds next week again. Will get worse before it gets better

Maybe. This was an anomaly. Been here for 50+ years. I’ve never seen this before. the 93 Laguna beach fire whipped through a neighborhood like these fires.. There was a small one a couple years ago across the canyon from me. 10-20 huge homes burned. The insane winds and super dry landscape just created the perfect conditions. Unreal.

This is an anomaly??? You lived in Cali 50 years, you should know better.

 

[gump]

New fire in Runyon Canyon, within a mile of Hollywood Blvd and near the Hollywood Bowl…ETA probably same as post from Gr00vus.

Right, they're calling it the sunset fire officially.

The helicopters seem to be doing a nice job of controlling this one.

Seems contained. Studio City fire?

 

[El Floppo]

No rain in forecast for remainder of 10 days and seemingly thru Jan. Red flag winds next week again. Will get worse before it gets better

Maybe. This was an anomaly. Been here for 50+ years. I’ve never seen this before. the 93 Laguna beach fire whipped through a neighborhood like these fires.. There was a small one a couple years ago across the canyon from me. 10-20 huge homes burned. The insane winds and super dry landscape just created the perfect conditions. Unreal.

This is an anomaly??? You lived in Cali 50 years, you should know better.

What isn't an anomaly? Historic dry spell, historic winds and spread, historic damage. These are not normal, non-anomalous.

Does 70 years count? From the NYT...
These fires have burned out of control and spread into the city, and two are the most destructive in Los Angeles’s history. The flames are visible for miles down the city’s famous coastline, a half-moon crescent of sand that is usually domed by blue sky. “I’ve lived here my whole life and never seen anything like this,” a 71-year-old resident said.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Crazy people running california played a big part in this. Cut the fire dpt budgets down and diverted rivers to save some fish.

Uh no.

This is what the bots on X are spreading.

Millions of views spreading lies about the Palisades firefighters lacking water because of regulations, the boring truth comes late like usual and wont be shared.

Here it is:

1 - Reservoirs and water tanks were at normal levels and completely full before the fire.

2 - All 114 city water supply tanks were fully stocked pre-fire.

3 - A 15-hour surge at four times normal demand reduced water pressure.

4 - High demand at lower elevations slowed refilling tanks at higher elevations.

5 - This unprecedented fire was fueled by 8 months of no rain and 85 MPH winds. Water is being brought in continuously.

6 - Even if, the protection of the Delta Smelt caused over regulation by California, it's the FEDERAL Endangered Species Act that requires the protection of endangered species like the Delta Smelt and their habitats, not Gavin Newsom or California.

Why automatically misinformation? You don't have to answer that but I wanted to share because there are many different story arcs being passed around online, I stand with you that there's always a lot of misinformation so let me share with someone I feel is quite rational and then you can systematically point out the errors because many of us don't know what to believe

-I hope what we hear in other parts of the country is not true. It's being reported that 1 home in the Palisades caught fire, not hearing that this fire started in the trees/forests initially and that when the fire department showed up and turned the fire hydrants on that there was no water...I didn't even know that was a possibility when the fire hydrant caps are taken off.

This important fact/fiction story that is getting passed around, where did anyone come up with that if its false?
Did the media talk/interview the first responders or the very first firefighters that showed up?
My guess is they did not because most of the firefighters have just been battling the fires and I doubt they have had time or the energy to speak with people trying to place blame

But I would like to know who has the real answers to these questions.
30,000 people right now are homeless. Sure, some of the people that own homes there have the independent ability to relocate or rebuild, they might not be homeless but not everyone in the Palisades is bathing in money. Some folks moved in there a long long time ago and have lost everything. Even if they have insurance it will be nothing above the materials to rebuild, highly doubt insurance companies will cut checks for full market value of these homes. Billions of dollars went up in flames and a lot of dreams and memories for many

I don't think its fair the media is quick to place blame but I would like to know if the fire started with 1 or 2 homes and then some lack of water for "whatever" reasons wasn't there when the fire department went to extinguish the flames. It's kind of important and we might not get the answers for a while.

By the time the truth is actually revealed, most folks will have already taken a position on who is to blame for all of this, right or wrong

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

This would/will happen with high winds and dry conditions no matter who is blamed or perceived to be at fault.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Did the media talk/interview the first responders or the very first firefighters that showed up?

Yes

The conversations with the firefighters begins around 3:20 but there is good content before then.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

National News just said there is "No known cause for the start of the fire" and that sounds about right
I don't know how anyone could actually know when the fire truly started
Arson should not be ruled out

330,000 people without power in SoCal right now
130,000 people ordered to evacuate

Children have lost their schools, that is completely sad to me.

BTW: The Palisades from my time in California, homes have been passed down from previous generations that were bought back in the 60s/70s, it's not just rich celebrities that lost their homes. A lot of the folks could never afford to live there but inherited property from loved ones in previous generations.

I wish there were more I could do to help than just give thru the Red Cross

 

[IvanKaramazov]

This would/will happen with high winds and dry conditions no matter who is blamed or perceived to be at fault.

It's very liberating to not care who's at fault. Not my problem, not making it my problem.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

So what happens in these situations? Insurance covers your rebuild or offers you money to relocate?

 

[IvanKaramazov]

So what happens in these situations? Insurance covers your rebuild or offers you money to relocate?

I'm going to very interested to find out how many of these homeowners were uninsured. Insurance companies have been cancelling policies in areas of the country like this for exactly this reason.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

This would/will happen with high winds and dry conditions no matter who is blamed or perceived to be at fault.

It's very liberating to not care who's at fault. Not my problem, not making it my problem.

This is the way.

 

[TripItUp]

Do we have an explanation for why five separate fires started within hours of each other??

High winds and dry conditions doesn’t explain that imho….maybe one or two, but five?

Any chance this can be terrorism ?

 

[El Floppo]

Do we have an explanation for why five separate fires started within hours of each other??

High winds and dry conditions doesn’t explain that imho….maybe one or two, but five?

Any chance this can be terrorism ?

First fire start is what you're looking for. After that, of course high winds and dry conditions explain the others.

ETA.. given how dry, and the winds.. I could imagine something as innocuous as a tossed cigarette starting something. Or aliens. Or terrorist aliens.

 

[El Floppo]

I'm still amazed there's only been 1/8" of precipitation since May.

I know SoCal (vs where I grew up in NoCal) doesn't get a lot of rain. But this is still the rainy season, when stuff is getting wet and growing in CA. Now is typically the time to be concerned with mud slides after summer/fall fires burn off ground cover, not fires.

 

[Nigel]

Do we have an explanation for why five separate fires started within hours of each other??

High winds and dry conditions doesn’t explain that imho….maybe one or two, but five?

Any chance this can be terrorism ?

burning embers blowing around in 100 mph winds can travel miles, no mystery to it.

 

[culdeus]

Do we have an explanation for why five separate fires started within hours of each other??

High winds and dry conditions doesn’t explain that imho….maybe one or two, but five?

Any chance this can be terrorism ?

In a red flag area fires happening at the same time is a thing. In Texas you see similar synched type fires starting. Just general economic activity, cooking, running an edger or mower, a tractor hits a rock in the field, can start stuff like this quickly under those conditions.

 

[TripItUp]

Do we have an explanation for why five separate fires started within hours of each other??

High winds and dry conditions doesn’t explain that imho….maybe one or two, but five?

Any chance this can be terrorism ?

burning embers blowing around in 100 mph winds can travel miles, no mystery to it.

These fires are much further away than a few miles. Floating embers doesn’t explain all of this.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Arson should not be ruled out

I would think that is always true. Always, as a baseline.

By the same token, let’s not discount that a historic drought and unusually strong Santa Ana winds were both the cause of the start & the major cause of it becoming catastrophic very quickly.

There will be investigations after the fact but the primary concern right now is evacuation + load management of the exhausted firefighters. There’s no need to throw conspiratorial spaghetti on the wall just because we don’t have instantaneous conclusions available. Bigger fish to fry atm.

 

[rockaction]

Do we have an explanation for why five separate fires started within hours of each other??

High winds and dry conditions doesn’t explain that imho….maybe one or two, but five?

Any chance this can be terrorism ?

burning embers blowing around in 100 mph winds can travel miles, no mystery to it.

These fires are much further away than a few miles. Floating embers doesn’t explain all of this.

We had fires all over the place just a couple months ago. One was started by arson, the rest weren’t.

The phrase “it spread like wildfire” exists for a reason.

That said, you might be right in suspecting arson. We had somebody trying to commit arson a few blocks from our home the other month. I hope they give him life.

The news two days ago said sparks from a lawnmower started this. I didn’t even bother because the truth of the report is probably suspect.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Do we have an explanation for why five separate fires started within hours of each other??

High winds and dry conditions doesn’t explain that imho….maybe one or two, but five?

Any chance this can be terrorism ?

burning embers blowing around in 100 mph winds can travel miles, no mystery to it.

He's right Trip, I lived in SoCal for 8 years and you haven't seen anything until you see a roof on fire, a burst of wind and then embers flying in every direction being carried away and it just takes one of them to spark more fires.

Burning embers can travel up to 5 miles and still spark a lot of damage
I understand your question, it's a good question but it's not uncommon in SoCal to have multiple fires in different locations break out when fire season is in full swing

Terrorism wasn't even on my radar thinking about any of this, it's possible but very remote IMHO

 

[TripItUp]

Do we have an explanation for why five separate fires started within hours of each other??

High winds and dry conditions doesn’t explain that imho….maybe one or two, but five?

Any chance this can be terrorism ?

burning embers blowing around in 100 mph winds can travel miles, no mystery to it.

He's right Trip, I lived in SoCal for 8 years and you haven't seen anything until you see a roof on fire, a burst of wind and then embers flying in every direction being carried away and it just takes one of them to spark more fires.

Burning embers can travel up to 5 miles and still spark a lot of damage
I understand your question, it's a good question but it's not uncommon in SoCal to have multiple fires in different locations break out when fire season is in full swing

Terrorism wasn't even on my radar thinking about any of this, it's possible but very remote IMHO

These fires are much further away than 5 miles! Looking at the map, Pasadena is a two hour drive from Malibu.

I’ve lived in Los Angeles. Logic tells me that there is no way embers started all these fires.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Arson should not be ruled out

I would think that is always true. Always, as a baseline.

By the same token, let’s not discount that a historic drought and unusually strong Santa Ana winds were both the cause of the start & the major cause of it becoming catastrophic very quickly.

There will be investigations after the fact but the primary concern right now is evacuation + load management of the exhausted firefighters. There’s no need to throw conspiratorial spaghetti on the wall just because we don’t have instantaneous conclusions available. Bigger fish to fry atm.

And you did read the rest of that post, right? I think I communicated where my heart is right now
and I agree with you

 

[Runkle]

Do we have an explanation for why five separate fires started within hours of each other??

High winds and dry conditions doesn’t explain that imho….maybe one or two, but five?

Any chance this can be terrorism ?

Beyond the wind and embers, there's also the cascading power issue. As one fire burns it destroys electrical lines. Other lines take on more load to compensate. A transformer somewhere miles away overloads and starts sparking. And now you have two fires putting strain on the grid. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Sammy3469]

I'm still amazed there's only been 1/8" of precipitation since May.

I know SoCal (vs where I grew up in NoCal) doesn't get a lot of rain. But this is still the rainy season, when stuff is getting wet and growing in CA. Now is typically the time to be concerned with mud slides after summer/fall fires burn off ground cover, not fires.

We also had a very wet pre-May season. Just no rain recently.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

Arson, Tree falls over from the wind into a power line, lit cigarette, etc…

we had a string of fires in norcal recently that were suspicious, authorities were able to determine arson and then discovered it was a fire fighter staring them.

Robert Hernandez, California firefighter, arrested by Cal Fire Law Enforcement officers on suspicion of 'arson to forest land' | abc7.com

Robert%20Hernandez%20was%20arrested%20by%20Cal%20Fire%20Law%20Enforcement%20at%20a%20fire%20station%20in%20Mendocino%20County%2C%20California%2C%20on%20suspicion%20of%20%22arson%20to%20forest%20land.%22

abc7.com

 

[squistion]

When I woke up this morning, the inside of my place smells like smoke and there a gray haze in the air. The Altadena fire near me has still not been contained.

Here is an update from CBS:

Fire crews in Los Angeles brace for more heavy winds; at least 24 killed, thousands of buildings lost

The Palisades and Eaton fires burning in Southern California have destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Ministry of Pain]

When I woke up this morning, the inside of my place smells like smoke and there a gray haze in the air. The Altadena fire near me has still not been contained.

Here is an update from CBS:

Fire crews in Los Angeles brace for more heavy winds; at least 24 killed, thousands of buildings lost

The Palisades and Eaton fires burning in Southern California have destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

www.cbsnews.com

You've been asked to evacuate, you smell smoke and you've decided to stay
The pictures of Altadena before, during the fire and now after the fire are scary and you live near Altadena
You've been asked to evacuate, you smell smoke and you've decided to stay
Good Luck and Godspeed

 

[rockaction]

When I woke up this morning, the inside of my place smells like smoke and there a gray haze in the air. The Altadena fire near me has still not been contained.

Here is an update from CBS:

Fire crews in Los Angeles brace for more heavy winds; at least 24 killed, thousands of buildings lost

The Palisades and Eaton fires burning in Southern California have destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

www.cbsnews.com

Hey squistion—I’d evacuate, man. I know it’s really difficult, but if they’ve asked you to and the inside of your house has a gray haze, it might be time to throw a bag or two together and get out. I don’t know what the roads are like or even where you’d go, but it doesn’t sound really good right now for you.

Regardless, it’s easy for me to say that. Godspeed like MoP said and best of luck to you. I hope the structure you’re living in continues to be in good stead.

 

[squistion]

When I woke up this morning, the inside of my place smells like smoke and there a gray haze in the air. The Altadena fire near me has still not been contained.

Here is an update from CBS:

Fire crews in Los Angeles brace for more heavy winds; at least 24 killed, thousands of buildings lost

The Palisades and Eaton fires burning in Southern California have destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

www.cbsnews.com

You've been asked to evacuate, you smell smoke and you've decided to stay
The pictures of Altadena before, during the fire and now after the fire are scary and you live near Altadena
You've been asked to evacuate, you smell smoke and you've decided to stay
Good Luck and Godspeed

It was a notice that goes out to all cell phones within a certain mile radius of the fire. And when you are near a brush fire that has been burning for over 24 hours, the air will smell smokey (often even inside a dwelling). I am still not that close to the actual fires. I had the basics all ready to go if I had to leave in a hurry if necessary. I have been through this before and if it really serious police cars will usually go around with loudspeakers/bullhorns asking people to immediately evacuate (obviously only if they have time to do so).

 

[Hot Diggity Dog]

We were in the pre-evacuation zone for the Boulder fire here in Colorado a few years ago. It was about 3 miles North of us, but the wind was blowing East at 100 MPH so we weren't in the path of it. Scary stuff and hard as hell to get home insurance. It is scary stuff and a tragedy. Take your stuff and run.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

No rain in forecast for remainder of 10 days and seemingly thru Jan. Red flag winds next week again. Will get worse before it gets better

Maybe. This was an anomaly. Been here for 50+ years. I’ve never seen this before. the 93 Laguna beach fire whipped through a neighborhood like these fires.. There was a small one a couple years ago across the canyon from me. 10-20 huge homes burned. The insane winds and super dry landscape just created the perfect conditions. Unreal.

This is an anomaly??? You lived in Cali 50 years, you should know better.

100+ mph winds in LA are an anomaly. I do know better.

 

[Judge Smails]

Crazy people running california played a big part in this. Cut the fire dpt budgets down and diverted rivers to save some fish.

Uh no.

This is what the bots on X are spreading.

Millions of views spreading lies about the Palisades firefighters lacking water because of regulations, the boring truth comes late like usual and wont be shared.

Here it is:

1 - Reservoirs and water tanks were at normal levels and completely full before the fire.

2 - All 114 city water supply tanks were fully stocked pre-fire.

3 - A 15-hour surge at four times normal demand reduced water pressure.

4 - High demand at lower elevations slowed refilling tanks at higher elevations.

5 - This unprecedented fire was fueled by 8 months of no rain and 85 MPH winds. Water is being brought in continuously.

6 - Even if, the protection of the Delta Smelt caused over regulation by California, it's the FEDERAL Endangered Species Act that requires the protection of endangered species like the Delta Smelt and their habitats, not Gavin Newsom or California.

Why automatically misinformation? You don't have to answer that but I wanted to share because there are many different story arcs being passed around online, I stand with you that there's always a lot of misinformation so let me share with someone I feel is quite rational and then you can systematically point out the errors because many of us don't know what to believe

-I hope what we hear in other parts of the country is not true. It's being reported that 1 home in the Palisades caught fire, not hearing that this fire started in the trees/forests initially and that when the fire department showed up and turned the fire hydrants on that there was no water...I didn't even know that was a possibility when the fire hydrant caps are taken off.

This important fact/fiction story that is getting passed around, where did anyone come up with that if its false?
Did the media talk/interview the first responders or the very first firefighters that showed up?
My guess is they did not because most of the firefighters have just been battling the fires and I doubt they have had time or the energy to speak with people trying to place blame

But I would like to know who has the real answers to these questions.
30,000 people right now are homeless. Sure, some of the people that own homes there have the independent ability to relocate or rebuild, they might not be homeless but not everyone in the Palisades is bathing in money. Some folks moved in there a long long time ago and have lost everything. Even if they have insurance it will be nothing above the materials to rebuild, highly doubt insurance companies will cut checks for full market value of these homes. Billions of dollars went up in flames and a lot of dreams and memories for many

I don't think its fair the media is quick to place blame but I would like to know if the fire started with 1 or 2 homes and then some lack of water for "whatever" reasons wasn't there when the fire department went to extinguish the flames. It's kind of important and we might not get the answers for a while.

By the time the truth is actually revealed, most folks will have already taken a position on who is to blame for all of this, right or wrong

The lack of water thing is a red herring. Political. This fire didn’t spread because a firemen had low water pressure from a hydrant. I don’t care how much water you have with this much fuel and winds that are howling 80-100mph. Embers flying miles to match stick palm trees and wooden eaves. Completely overmatched