WP named New Year's Eve fireworks as a possible cause of the California fires

A fire in Los Angeles County in the US state of California could have started because of fireworks being set off on New Year's Eve. This was suggested by the American newspaper The Washington Post (WP).

The newspaper analyzed various materials, such as photos, videos, satellite images and recordings of radio conversations. Among the latter, it found a report from a Los Angeles County firefighter, who 30 minutes after the start of the California fire in the Palisades neighborhood, reported over the radio that the fire originated where there had already been a fire on New Year's Eve.

An analysis of the footage showed that the new fire did appear in close proximity to the old fire. Consequently, there was a second fire, which happens in high winds. Importantly, on January 1, the fire department extinguished the burning in four hours, but due to staffing shortages, it is difficult to trace whether a second fire has reappeared. In addition, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department told the newspaper that patrolling the sites of past fires is not usually practiced.

In addition, local residents also believe that the catastrophic California fire was caused by the launching of fireworks on New Year's Eve: a man living in Palisades told the publication that his loved ones then heard the popping of fireworks, and then the fire started. The local resident added that similar situations happen every year.

Nevertheless, the newspaper noted that the cause of the fire has not yet been officially named.

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The day before, on January 12, ABC News reported that at least 24 people were killed in fires in California. Ten more were reported missing.

On the same day, Bloomberg reported that the fire in California could have been caused by a broken wire. It was found on a tower connected to the Eagle Rock Sylmar power line. The tower is owned by Edison International.

Multiple wildfires were reported in Los Angeles on January 8. Suppression continues, with strong winds fueling the fire and rescue crews lacking water. Due to the fires, the state has declared a major disaster mode. The projected damage from the disaster will be about $52-57 billion. More than 12.3 thousand buildings were destroyed.

More than 1 thousand American prisoners were sent to extinguish the fire, which should contain the spread of the fire. Mexico also sent a group of firefighters to Los Angeles to fight the fire.