Report: New Year’s Eve Fireworks May Have Caused Palisades Fire

Fireworks that were set off on New Year’s Eve and caused a small fire in calm conditions may have smoldered and caused the wildfire currently burning in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, after being accelerated by high winds.

University of Southern California Associate Professor of Biological Science Andrew Hires, who lives near the fire, posted photos and videos on X, and said that fireworks appeared to have been the likeliest cause of the blaze:

Authorities had not confirmed the cause of the blaze as of this writing. However, there is a persistent problem of fireworks in the Palisades, where people from other parts of Los Angeles sometimes set off fireworks in open spaces.

As Breitbart News reported, the fire began to spread rapidly on Tuesday morning and destroyed homes and cars. Residents were evacuated, as well as the local school.

There was also a wildfire above the Hollywood Hills, whose cause was unknown.

Extreme winds are expected to last through Wednesday evening, meaning that the fire could become far worse before it is brought under control. Local first responders rushed to the scene and are battling the blaze in tough conditions.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.