Photographer Lesly Hall captured this shot of the Palisades Fire around 6 p.m. on May 16 from Chastain Parkway.
Tonight, when Circling the News went to press, there was zero percent containment of the Palisades Fire, which had grown to more than 1,325 acres at last report.
LAFD Spokesperson Margaret Stewart released the following statement at 6 p.m. “During the course of the investigation, LAFD Arson Investigators and LAPD have aggressively tracked down any and all potential leads. We did have one individual who was detained and released. However, we now have a second individual that is being questioned. The active investigation into the cause of the Palisades fire continues.”
Meanwhile, several hundred residents in Topanga Canyon were under mandatory evacuation, and Highlands residents received an evacuation warning for the following area: “1500 block of Chastain Parkway W – all homes north of Chastain Parkway over to Calle Del Cielo (eastern boundary). The warning area includes Calle De Sarah, Calle Bellevista and all homes West of Calle Del Cielo / Ave Ashley up to the hills. All residents in this area are urged to prepare for a potential evacuation based on the developing fire activity. Gather your valuables, medicines etc. and load them into your car so you are ready if asked to evacuate.”
Helicopters continued to conduct water dropping operations while firefighters were on the ground in the difficult terrain, working to get handlines in place.
Highlands resident Peter Culhane took this photo from the second floor of his home on May 15.
An operational map of the fire perimeter as of 7 a.m. Sunday is available on @LAFDtalk on Twitter and @losangelesfiredepartment on Instagram.
Firefighters say that this area has not burned in 50-60 years and there is dry bush and heavy fuel feeding the fire. No structures have been damaged, and no injuries reported.
Humidity is 65 to 72 percent in Pacific Palisades and winds are calm at about five to seven miles an hour. Drizzle is predicted for tonight.
There is a smoke advisory for Pacific Palisades and Topanga.
The command post for this fire is at the Will Rogers State Beach parking lot, ironically enough at the site where Councilman Mike Bonin is asking to place the homeless.
The Will Rogers Beach parking lot is serving as the command center for the Palisades Fire.
Photo: Shelby Pascoe
The last few years when we have experienced fires in the Highlands area, our local beach parking lots have been used as staging areas for the fire battalions. These current fires highlight another reason why Bonin’s ill-conceived idea to use those spaces for homeless housing would be a disaster for our community.