Cause of the Sunday evening blaze remains undetermined, officials say
By Sam Catanzaro
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) says officers found a homeless encampment near where a Pacific Palisades brush fire broke out last weekend, though the cause of the blaze remains unknown.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the incident was reported on Sunday around 8:45 p.m. at 15045 Corona del Mar in Pacific Palisades. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find flames burning uphill in medium-to-heavy brush between Pacific Coast Highway and Corona del Mar.
It took 65 LAFD personnel, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews and firefighters from neighboring agencies around an hour to put out the blaze. No structures were damaged in the fire, which was con contained to around two acres.
Officials did not implement any formal evacuation orders.
The LAFD has not yet determined the cause of the fire. According to the LAPD, however, police officers on Monday found an encampment near where the fire started. The announcement was made by LAPD Senior Lead Officer Brain Espin in a community brief email.
“At this time, it is unknown how the fire was started. Our Beach Detail Officers frequently check the hillsides on a regular basis. As of Friday, of last week the area behind the wall was clear. Today, the Beach Detail Officers located an encampment behind the wall South from where the fire had started. The PPTFH volunteers responded and cleared the area. It is unknown if the encampment and the fire are somehow related. LA City Fire Department is the investigating agency when it comes to fires. If and when more information is released, I will update everyone at that time,” Espin wrote.
When reached for comment, LAFD Captain II Erik Scott said “We reviewed the LAFD report, which states that after investigation the cause of the fire was undetermined. Therefore, we have no further information on the fire cause.”
