Any information about the Pacific Palisades Fire

[pmax]

Originally Posted by red 928

When I see things like this I get angry and frustrated because
I believe most of these fires could be prevented.

I am convinced that the majority of these wild fires
are the result of arson,

started by a very small group of serial arsonists.
Like a handful of them.
If you go back 10 or 15 years and map out the locations
there are obvious patterns.

Not only in north and south cali but also in the PNW and rockies.
We have seen swarms of fires in certain areas
and not in others that are just as vulnerable.
On a map it looks to me like Thousand oaks, malibu,
pacific palisades and alta dena are close to each other
And all have burned recently. Some many times.
I recall reading a story saying there was a swarm of fires in a neighboring county
over the past decade but they caught a guy and those fires stopped.

I can think of no other crime that is more heinous or
deserving of capital punishment than this.
But these monsters are rarely caught so they
continue the carnage.
They watch the sensationalistic news coverage
telling the population that the winds are coming and of the
red flag warnings and their urges grow uncontrollably. the itch grows.

The ENTIRE population of these areas should be hammering
on their governments to implement comprehensive monitoring,
surveillance, and prevention in vulnerable areas.
If they can deploy every available firefighter and LEO AFTER
the fire gets out of control, why can't they do the same to
PREVENT it from starting?
Facial recognition cameras, license plate readers,
neighborhood watch-type of volunteer groups, whatever it takes.
How about an FBI task force with the sole responsibility
of taking these sicko idiots out?
That would be cheaper and easier than what it costs if the
fires are not prevented.
They would only have to jail a few of them to make a huge difference.

Out of sight out of mind,
a week from now the governments will be back squabbling
how to squander resources and not preventing
this type of catastrophe.

Now this next part might hurt some feelings.
We could wait to discuss this until well after the effects
have faded but that's part of the problem.
So, I'll tread lightly on the responsibility of
building or buying houses in areas with really high fire danger ratings,
or the fact that homes in these dangerous areas COULD be built
to be made more fire-resistant but are not.
But if I were inclined to buy a multi-million dollar home in one of these areas
I think I would be able to afford spark arresters on attic ventilation,
stucco and cement boards siding with no exposed wood facia or trim,
Fire proof shutters on windows, no flammable vegetation,
home fogging sprinkler systems with self-contained water supply (pool or tank), etc.
I could design a home that would not burn when exposed to wild fire.
Why don't they?
Because insurance is cheaper.

If allowed, the insurance companies would solve this by jacking
up the rates in high danger areas enough to curb the spread
of houses into the dangerous hills, but government regulations
interfere with the free market balance.
So insurance companies bail and the burden is spread to all homeowners.

Then there's the illegal homeless encampments that are ignored.
Too many fires start in these encampments.
bulldozers are not hard to get, I'd solve that problem in a week.

Bad decisions have consequences.
Decades of bad decisions have compounded the dangers and
hard, tough and courageous decisions will be necessary
to correct them.
Continuing to do what has been done will only make it worse.

[Noah930]

Word on the street is that the Studio City fire was intentionally set. Someone set fire inside one of the houses. It was reported initially as a house fire. Fortunately, it's now out. 2 homes destroyed.

[KFC911]

It is very sad watching TV coverage from afar ... just like the recent floods in our mtns. Unprecedented ... and hard to fathom. Be safe guys!

[LWJ]

[QUOTE]On a positive note (if anything positive about this) is that homeowners insurance covers fires (not flood damage like with Helene). Homeowners that lose their house and survive will be able to rebuild...somewhere./QUOTE]

Except this size of loss is going to shock and paralyze the Insurance industry. We are currently seeing a very hard market for older properties - I had a "to the studs" remodeled apartment go from $8K to $36K this month due to the hard market and one goofy claim that they probably didn't cause. Have another property we have not found any coverage yet - older and less desireable.

After the Camp Fire (poorly named!) in 2018 CIG Insurance had reserves that were so low the rating was going from an A to a B. Which is the start of a death spiral for an insurance carrier. They merged (sold) with a large national firm to avoid this.

I expect that property coverage and rates are going to become a significant issue in the US due to this fire(s).

[rfuerst911sc]

So what happens in the next year or two for folks that want to rebuild ? Should they be allowed to rebuild with standard stick built homes ? Should they be forced to rebuild with fire retardent/fire proof materials ? What about glass , every window/door that is glass is there a fireproof metal shutter or cover ?

Or is building a fireproof home unrealistic or too expensive ? As we all know insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results . Hurricane prone areas or flood prone areas also come to mind . Insurance companies are going to make it harder and harder to obtain a policy in what they deem as high risk areas . Just look at some Insurance companies canceling policies just a few months ago for some of these fire victims . Very sad situation.

[CurtEgerer]

Wow, the winds are blowing this very close to Hollywood Blvd now

[onewhippedpuppy]

Stay safe guys! All I can offer up are my prayers. This is all just staggering.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Word on the street is that the Studio City fire was intentionally set. Someone set fire inside one of the houses. It was reported initially as a house fire. Fortunately, it's now out. 2 homes destroyed.

It’s not just there, videos are circulating showing people setting fires elsewhere. You have to wonder how many of these fires were accidental in origin and how many were set by anarchists.

I took a look at the national weather service data and when the fire started in Hollywood, the wind was 3 miles an hour, gusting to 4.

[techweenie]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

Yeah, the LA water system was not set up to battle 30,000 acres simultaneously burning. I doubt any municipal water system in the world could handle that level of demand. In this case, only hydrants over a certain elevation went dry. But because water-dropping airccraft were grounded for the first day and a half, all the demand was on the department of water & power for the Los Angeles portion of the fires. Remember, over 30% of the burned acreage was outside of Los Angeles proper.

[greglepore]

The stories of looters in evacuated neighborhoods are very disturbing.

[GH85Carrera]

The major losses in homes on the two coasts, and other disasters is affecting my insurance company, American National. They were sold to a bigger company, and they are ending home and auto insurance in the next year or so. I will be shopping for a new company. And I have Agreed value on the El Camino and the 911, so they likely will be a separate company from the home insurance and my wife's Macan.

I am one of those that pays and pays, but I have not had a claim singe that crazy Californian deer tried to jump though my windshield back in 2007.

[Dpmulvan]

Originally Posted by speeder

Please refrain from spreading stupidity and misinformation on this thread. You have absolutely no idea what is occurring in those areas. Snipped. Firefighters are doing an amazing job with limited resources and they never give up. These is the worst fires in inhabited areas that anyone has ever seen.

Edit. There is a thread in PARF. Use it, DP.

[techweenie]

This may be of value to locals and distant observers as well. The fires are extensive throughout Los Angeles County -- not just the city (black border).




Despite pundit claims, Beverly Hills is not "decimated." It's barely affected at all.

EDIT: one more pundit claim -- that fire department funds were cut by $17.5 million is false. Fire department budget was increased last year by $50 million. Gotta be careful of what is alleged on certain outlets.

[techweenie]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

First day of the palisades fire early they were out of water or had no water in many places.

As said, there were elevation-related shortages:

"Janisse Quińones, chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said the Palisades water system sustained four times its usual demand for 15 hours straight. That made it difficult to refill water tanks quickly enough to maintain pressure, she said, which in turn disrupted the water supply to hydrants in the hills. According to the water department, crews trying to reroute water at one point had to evacuate because of the fire’s intensity.

“We have three large water tanks, about a million gallons each. We ran out of water in the first tank at about 4:45 p.m. yesterday [Tuesday]. We ran out of water in the second tank about 8:30 p.m. and the third tank about 3 a.m. this morning,” Quińones said at a news conference Wednesday.

She added that there is still water in the supply line — “it just cannot get up the hill because we cannot fill the tanks fast enough.”

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Word on the street is that the Studio City fire was intentionally set. Someone set fire inside one of the houses. It was reported initially as a house fire. Fortunately, it's now out. 2 homes destroyed.

Homeless squatters start a lot of house fires

[jyl]

When a house burns, plastic or PEX water supply pipes melt, releasing water pressure. Or the water in copper or steel pipes boils and steam pressure ruptures a pipe or fitting or fixture, releasing water pressure. So as more houses burn, the water pressure goes down.

Water pressure or no, firefighters can’t do much to stop a big Santa Ana-driven wildfire charging out of the canyons and barreling to the ocean.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Homeless squatters start a lot of house fires

This is a true statement and definitely a problem, (or an element of a much larger problem), but not sure if it's relevant to the current fires. Maybe the one in Studio City, who knows.

One danger right now that reminds me of the '92 riots is that when there is this much catastrophe going on, it offers a certain amount of cover to bad people doing bad things. The police and fire are busier than the proverbial whore on payday.

Disasters also bring out the best in people. My good friends who recently bought and reopened a beloved cafe in the Silverlake neighborhood made 600 breakfast burritos for the FD personnel fighting the Palisades fire last night. They should be eating them about now.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by jyl

When a house burns, plastic or PEX water supply pipes melt, releasing water pressure. Or the water in copper or steel pipes boils and steam pressure ruptures a pipe or fitting or fixture, releasing water pressure. So as more houses burn, the water pressure goes down.

Water pressure or no, firefighters can’t do much to stop a big Santa Ana-driven wildfire charging out of the canyons and barreling to the ocean.

You are correct, of course. The mechanical elements of a fire this large are mind-blowing and not in the consciousness of most people...thousands of homes incinerated including all of their plumbing which is connected to the water grid is one of them. None of these things happen when one house burns, no matter how large.

[CurtEgerer]

[Chocaholic]

Originally Posted by jyl

When a house burns, plastic or PEX water supply pipes melt, releasing water pressure. Or the water in copper or steel pipes boils and steam pressure ruptures a pipe or fitting or fixture, releasing water pressure. So as more houses burn, the water pressure goes down.

Water pressure or no, firefighters can’t do much to stop a big Santa Ana-driven wildfire charging out of the canyons and barreling to the ocean.

One would think that in a region at such high risk for these events, pressure sensitive check valves would be required by state building codes.