About this episode
On New Year’s Eve 2024, an Uber driver named Jonathan Rinderknecht allegedly started a fire in the Pacific Palisades. The fire was quickly contained, but it lingered on underground as a “zombie fire.” Days later, fueled by Santa Ana Winds, it exploded into the Palisades Fire, the most destructive conflagration in Los Angeles history. A second fire, ignited just hours later, destroyed much of neighboring Altadena. In the aftermath, angry residents wanted accountability – but who is to blame for a fire when the earth is now a tinderbox?
Featured in this episode:
Brad Weisshaupt, LA County Fire Department
Traci Park, LA City Council
India Bradley
Nic Arnzen, Altadena Town Council
Daniel Swain, University of California
Sources:
The Los Angeles Times
KTLA 5 News
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