The article discusses the January 7 wildfire in Pacific Palisades that resulted in the destruction of nearly 7,000 homes and claimed at least 12 lives. Despite warnings from the National Weather Service about extreme fire hazards due to high winds, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) opted not to pre-deploy firefighting engines in the area. This decision, alongside critical response delays, meant that crews arrived after the fire had already escalated, causing significant damage and loss of life. Former officials suggest that early detection could have mitigated the impact.
Crews from those engines might have spotted the fire soon after it started, when it was still small enough to give them a chance to control it.
In online alerts, the National Weather Service had highlighted the Palisades, the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood as among the areas of 'greatest concern'.
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