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Video Transcript AI Summary
I'm here with the fire command team at the Palisades fire. The fire started on Tuesday and has been fueled by extreme winds, making it challenging to control. The cause is still under investigation. Firefighters are working tirelessly to protect structures and contain the fire, which is not fully controlled yet but showing reduced activity.
To prevent future fires, creating defensible space around homes is crucial—clearing brush within 100 feet and using fire-resistant materials. Awareness and updated building codes can enhance safety. Water availability has been sufficient, but firefighters have relied on water tenders to meet the high demand. Overall, the focus is on securing the perimeter and preparing for any new fire threats.
Full Transcript
Speaker 0: I'm here, with the fire command team at the Palisades fire. Hey, guys. And, let's see. So this is, I I was asked if if if we could bring some more Starlinks here. So we've brought some more Starlinks here, and I'm just here with the the team, and they're they're gonna provide a briefing of the Palisades fire.
So please go ahead.
Speaker 1: Hi. Hello. Good evening. My name is Christian Litz. I'm with LA County Fire, cooperating with the partnership with Cal Fire team 2, and I'm operations section chief on this Palisades fire.
So Palisades fire, I'll just go we've been here since the beginning of the fire on Tuesday. We were looking at extreme damaging winds, erratic fire behavior coming through and blowing in from about midway on this map and blowing all the way down to the coastline there.
Speaker 0: When did that so when does that start? Just to frame the thing for people? Like I said, I assume people like it's it's like great to get the story from, like, basically, a, like, straight shooter. Yep. And and, like, you know, and and so, like, how how did it start?
And, you know, and and then maybe ask for how did it start then? Like, what are some of the things that could be done to, for in the future? But how but how did it start out? Like, what's the what's the story?
Speaker 1: So, honestly, we don't know yet. It's still under investigation. We don't know how it started.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: But because of the wind, honestly, it just allowed it to outpace anything possible. The winds are so strong. Air resources, which we use to keep it small k. Ineffective. Okay.
So it blew at record break it it grew at record break breaking pace. The resources put themselves probably in a bigger danger than they've ever done.
Speaker 0: Okay. It
Speaker 1: saves as many structures, but you can see
Speaker 2: it started about here with the wind Okay.
Speaker 1: And pushed it straight through the Palisades
Speaker 2: Alright.
Speaker 1: And it allowed it to grow, Larry. As the wind slowed down
Speaker 0: Yeah.
Speaker 1: It allowed it to grow back go back the other way. But now the wind came back out of the north and blew down again. So we have several wind shifts. Resources are all around trying to both structure defense, which is down along the coast where this truck is more heavy.
Speaker 2: Okay. We
Speaker 1: do have communities all along on top Sure. That we have we've just been working as hard as we can from beginning to to now, without any stop, any rest. Resources working 36, 48 hours
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 1: At times just because of the need of the of what we had to do. Right now, the fire is is looking good. We still have heat all around the perimeter. We still have resources all over and try to to secure those edges, make sure that there is limited the potential for any kind of growth.
Speaker 0: Yeah.
Speaker 1: So we're still out there, but the activity is way down. And then with these winds over the next couple days, honestly, this fire, we have to watch it and do it, but it's gonna blow down at least most of it into its own self. But any new fire, it's gonna do the same thing. We have the winds that's gonna push it. It's not as strong as it was on Tuesday, but there is still gonna be movement.
So we're keeping keeping all the resources available, and we're ready to actually not only respond to where the fire is now
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: But any new fires that start, we're able to respond and help.
Speaker 0: Okay. So is it the so fires are currently under control?
Speaker 1: This fire, we're not calling it control.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: But there is line around them. Almost all of
Speaker 0: it. Okay.
Speaker 1: Very much almost all of it, but resources were still working. So about the excitement's about 10% of the fire where the flames are there, but 90% of the work is done after those flames are gone, and we have to secure those edges. Did you ever watch a campfire where the wind comes in and it's out? Yeah. Then the wind comes and it blows embers?
Speaker 0: Sure.
Speaker 1: Same thing can happen. Okay. We have to keep pushing and pushing and pushing deeper and deeper and stay around all these homes and Londonito, Fernwood, all the way up.
Speaker 0: So when you when you when you when you pull like, pull the barriers to stop the fire from going, do you just do you clear the brush and and and the and the trees and, like, what what actions do you take around the perimeter of that?
Speaker 1: So along the perimeter, we cut we call it cutting line. We use 2 of those. But, really, what we're doing is taking everything out down to bare minimum and soil.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: So there will be a path of dirt from where the It's a fire basically. Exactly. We're building a fire break along the edge of the black.
Speaker 0: Okay. Got it.
Speaker 1: So there's nothing left to burn. Yep. So the only danger at that point was if the wind blows an ember over that line.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: So we have to build it appropriately big enough to secure that, to stop that from happening and then push into the black to take all the heat away till it gives us a bigger buffer as much as possible. How how big does the
Speaker 0: fire break need to be?
Speaker 1: It depends on the size of the fuel. If you look at Texas size of fuel, it's anything that we see. And and it's different for terrain, size of fuel, everything like that. Usually, it's a couple times, one and a half times the size of the fuel.
Speaker 0: Yep. But k.
Speaker 1: We have fuel in the Topanga Canyon area, the Palisade area. There hasn't been fire there in 60 years. So you're looking Really? Wow. 15 This
Speaker 0: is a this is a very quite a rare fire.
Speaker 1: Correct.
Speaker 0: Like, it's a half century fire or something. Absolutely. Okay.
Speaker 1: The last major fires I have really pushed through Topanga's 93, 96.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: But there is there is part of, these hillsides that there hasn't been recorded fire in 60 years.
Speaker 0: Okay. Wow. Alright. And and, yeah, are are there things that, like, would be like like, I think what a lot of people are curious about is, like, what things could be done in the future to ensure that houses, are less susceptible to burning down. I mean, it's like like like as we rebuild for the future because it's like there's one thing about, like, past recriminations and all that, but, like, we can't go we can't rewind the clock.
But what we can do is say, like, in the future, what what what should we do to minimize the probability that, you know, people's homes and businesses will burn down?
Speaker 1: Yeah. Great question. And that's that's really what we want. So Yeah. Route history, as fire as fire prevention gets better, we we do better at safety structures.
So when you look at the LA County website, LA City has references out there as well. We call it you always hear the term defensible space.
Speaker 0: Yep.
Speaker 1: That is the biggest thing to save structures.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: So in hardening your home. So defensible space, we'll start there. That is basically clear and brush as low as possible to about a 100 feet is what our minimum standard.
Speaker 0: Say a
Speaker 1: 100 feet away. You can you start at 10 feet, but you limit it out. About a 100 feet is the
Speaker 0: best. Okay.
Speaker 1: So then when it hits there, you're basically building that 100 foot buffer of fuel break around your home.
Speaker 0: So, like, no no kindling for a 100 feet, basically.
Speaker 2: And then and then after that
Speaker 0: That sounds that sounds pretty sensible.
Speaker 1: It it it is. And then you hardening your home, we call harden
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: Is don't stack firewood right against the against the wall. The firewood. Yeah. Yeah. True.
Really a big part of once we lose structures on a typical, maybe not a 100 mile wind, but on a typical is is there something by the house Flammable. Fire.
Speaker 0: Yep. Okay.
Speaker 1: Wood, furniture,
Speaker 0: something
Speaker 1: like that, and it can burn up and gets into the attic, and then we lose the house.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: Or it gets in the porch system. Right? You might have a wood deck Sure. And it goes up and it just allows the flame to go into the house. So Okay.
Speaker 0: A
Speaker 1: lot of times, we talk about our ember cast that gets in the embers. So you you put screens around every opening. So you have vents on your house, put screens, very small screens. So the air can get through there, but embers, good sized embers that will actually catch a house Yeah. Get in there.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: So there's stuff like that. Move everything right from your house. That'd be great to say. And the vegetation in this area is astonishing and beautiful, and we understand that. Yeah.
But Well, yeah.
Speaker 0: There's some things you have
Speaker 1: to do for
Speaker 0: I I mean, I have heard, like, some things like, some of the the issues with fire breaks were, like, there's, like, some endangered, like, plant or something, and then we can't do a firebreak or that's an issue. Like like like, is there stuff that would be helpful from a regulatory reform standpoint that would help with fire prevention in the future?
Speaker 1: Well, LA County, I mean, we do have standards. We got in certain areas, we we actually have these lists of residences. Like, this is what we have to
Speaker 0: do. Okay.
Speaker 1: I think it's just an awareness. So when people, good and bad about the the bad thing is this happened, the good thing, maybe it'll bring a a greater awareness that there is a way to help defend your homes.
Speaker 0: Yeah.
Speaker 1: There is a way to help this from stop happening in the future.
Speaker 0: Yeah.
Speaker 1: And that defensible space, building that and building those that's that's the way to do it. Okay. As far as, well, I I guess what one's I
Speaker 0: I guess people are like obviously, we we definitely wanna give people a sense of of hope for the future, and if the things get rebuilt, that their house is not gonna burn down again. Great. That's like a reasonable thing.
Speaker 1: So So
Speaker 0: so it's like so it's like like, if there are things that should we should push for from a regulatory reform standpoint, this would be good to to know. You know, and and, yeah.
Speaker 1: Clearance space.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: Building building material. Right? We could we can now these are newer things. So now the up to the standards of building construction codes
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: Have been brought and have changed over the years. So maybe when their house was built, they weren't there.
Speaker 0: Okay.
Speaker 1: Now we have new the new codes, there's gonna be certain fire retardant materials. There's gonna be certain things that they can do. If you look a lot, concrete buildings don't burn.
Speaker 0: Sure.
Speaker 1: So there's some of these people that have built their concrete in the middle, and it is right on the middle, black all around them. Nothing was done, but they just burned because of the building material. Yeah.
Speaker 0: You can't you can't burn concrete.
Speaker 1: Correct. So so space and and and Sure. And and Sure. Iron materials.
Speaker 0: Steel ceiling concrete is gonna be okay.
Speaker 2: Yes. But yeah. But the great thing
Speaker 0: is they
Speaker 1: have other materials out there now that will definitely help.
Speaker 0: Like like what? I I think people are just like I could I'm not hopeful that this video can be, like, helpful to people. You know, like, what what should people do differently? Like, if it's not a sealed concrete, you said there's some new materials like like like synthetic materials, or or what
Speaker 1: is it? There's stuff that they put into the to the materials to be able to
Speaker 2: yeah. Yeah. I don't
Speaker 0: know. I just wanna
Speaker 2: help my partner out of somewhere here. Yeah. Yeah. You know? Anyways, I just wanted to kinda point something out.
Speaker 0: Back
Speaker 2: in 1962, we had a fire. It was called the Bel Air fire that burned from this area to be kind of the same burn pattern.
Speaker 0: Okay. And
Speaker 2: then after that fire, that's when they basically, in the city of Los Angeles, they outlawed wood shaped roofs. So wood table roofs were outlawed.
Speaker 0: Yeah. I mean, that's a I mean, that's a nightmare. That's
Speaker 2: that's an example
Speaker 0: of what
Speaker 2: my partner is saying.
Speaker 0: There's a a roof made a kindling.
Speaker 2: Right. So So we up we update the building standards, the fire code standards, the fire prevention standards.
Speaker 0: Sure.
Speaker 2: And then and that's up to you and the people out there that are a little more into the act architecture Sure. And to find some something that actually could be potentially more fire safe.
Speaker 0: Sure. You know,
Speaker 2: and then maybe the silver line around the gray cloud is that that may happen. Maybe we'll live in a safer fire zone or area where there's prone to fires, but it's safer type of structures. That's kind of what we're hoping to come out of this, you know, as a that's maybe one of the very small but good things.
Speaker 0: Alright. Sounds good. Well, I mean, do you have any any guidance for for people, like, if there's like, obviously, steel and concrete not are not gonna burn, but, like, are there, like, new synthetics that you think would be better than, like or or besides for steel and concrete, is there anything else?
Speaker 2: I I no. I really am not an expert.
Speaker 0: Or stones. Actually. Okay. It's pretty hard to build stone I mean, it's steel and concrete. Certainly, there's some stuff out there.
Yeah.
Speaker 2: We're we're about putting it out. Okay. But yeah. And I think that there are some some people who come together and find something. But, yeah, there's certainly some stuff out there.
We just
Speaker 0: Alright. Sounds good. Alright. Hey, everyone. So alright.
What about what about order availability? Was water availability I I understand that was, like, not not an issue in in Malibu. Is that correct?
Speaker 1: Was that water?
Speaker 0: Yeah.
Speaker 1: So there was water. We have several reservoirs that and seen those that we use a lot. Now just an example, if we have one building burning Mhmm. We could flow a 1,000 gallons a minute on that one building with the hose lays that we put in to stop it. You can imagine 1,000 gallons per house, we can do.
Right? So the amount of water we're flowing, there really is no water system that's gonna keep that pace. So we have to bring in water tenders, which are these big tank water tanks at, you know, 25 100, 3000 gallon
Speaker 0: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Trucks, and they'll come in. That's what we have to do to overcome to compensate. So they park out there and do it. DWT, P did a great job. They brought in big
Speaker 0: water trucks for us. Alright.
Speaker 1: And we use them as basically mobile hydrants.
Speaker 0: Alright.
Speaker 1: Right? And then we have our own agency as well that has water tenders.
Speaker 0: Okay. Am I saying is that that, like, along the maybe I'm correct
Speaker 1: me if
Speaker 0: I'm wrong. Along in in Malibu, along the coast, there was no shortage of water. In the Palisades, there was a shortage of water at at a certain point, or is that not
Speaker 1: accurate? We were just we were flowing just an amount of amount of water that those system couldn't over that was buried just because of how much water they these firefighters were utilizing.
Speaker 0: Okay. Alright. Sounds good. Alright. Thanks, guys.