Investigators Wrap Up Controlled Fires In Pacific Palisades

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Controlled burns in the hills above Pacific Palisades concluded earlier than scheduled, officials said Wednesday.

The testing, conducted as part of the investigation into the Palisades Fire, began Tuesday evening between Skull Rock and Green Peak, and was expected to be completed by Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, the process had concluded following a systematic post-test walk-through confirming all materials were cold and extinguished, according to the LAFD.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — which is leading the investigation into the cause and origin of the Palisades Fire — initiated the controlled burns.

• Read more: 500 Guns Recovered From Palisades Fire Debris — Now LAPD Wants To Return Them

The testing comes nearly four months after the most destructive fire in city history.

Officials believe the Palisades Fire was first detected around 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7. Citing sources familiar with the investigation, the Los Angeles Times reported that much of the investigation has focused on whether an older fire had rekindled.

Firefighters had extinguished an 8-acre blaze sparked by fireworks near Skull Rock a week before. Investigators are working to determine whether that fire had reignited and turned into the Palisades Fire.

The ATF's National Response Team was called in to investigate the Palisades Fire before it had even been fully contained. The elite team works on fewer than 20 cases a year on average and was called in due to the fire's size and scope, the ATF's Jose Medina said in January.

"ATF possesses unparalleled expertise in determining the origin and cause of fires, even under the most complex and challenging conditions," said Medina, the acting special agent in charge of the ATF's Los Angeles field division.

City News Service contributed to this report.