Timeline: Two Fateful Hours That Planted The Seeds Of Destruction In Pacific Palisades - Beritaja

For months, location has been aggravated speculation about what caused the Palisades fire.

On Wednesday, national prosecutors offered a elaborate timeline about what they allege caused the fire, which charred 23,400 acres and leveled much than 6,800 structures, including galore homes successful Pacific Palisades and Malibu and killed 12 people.

They alleged the seeds of demolition began not connected Jan. 7 erstwhile the flames entered Pacific Palisades but connected Jan. 1. They declare an Uber driver intentionally group the occurrence connected a celebrated hiking way successful what they declare was a bizarre bid of events that included listening to a French rap song. Firefighters responded and believed they had snuffed it out. But aggravated winds connected on Jan. 7 reignited it.

The suspect, Jonathan Rinderknecht, could not beryllium reached for remark and is successful custody successful Florida. This is simply a timeline of those fateful 2 hours connected New Years Eve arsenic laid retired successful tribunal records. Some of the precise times are estimates. Authorities allege this led to the demolition of truthful overmuch of Pacific Palisades:

LAPD officers support the nationalist and media retired of the Skull Rock Trailhead successful an area

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

11:15 pm.: Rinderknecht drops disconnected passengers successful his Uber. They later told authorities he seemed agitated.

11:28 p.m. Suspect listened to the opus “Un Zder, Un The,” by the French creator Josman, connected his iPhone. Investigators allege the opus included themes of “despair and bitterness… Google records bespeak that he had listened to the aforesaid opus 9 times successful the erstwhile 4 days.”

11:34 p.m.: He drops disconnected a rider connected Palisades Drive and drives toward Skull Rock Trailhead.

11:38 p.m. He parks astatine Skull Rock Trailhead and tries unsuccessfully to scope a friend who lived nearby. He walks up the way to a mini clearing, passing a motion saying “No Fires/Smoking.”

11:47 a.m.: He takes photos and a video of the area.

11:54 p.m. He listens to “Un Zder, Un The.”

Las Lomas Place homes were destroyed adjacent from Skull Rock.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

12:12: a.m. A camera shows the first denotation of a occurrence successful the area. He calls 911 but it “did not spell through, about apt because he was retired of cellphone range.” He tries again, unsuccessfully. Over the adjacent fewer minutes he tried to scope 911 respective times.

12:17 a.m. He yet gets done to 911. According to the complaint, “he reported the occurrence (by that constituent a section resident already had reported the occurrence to 911). During the call, [he] typed a mobility into the ChatGPT app connected his iPhone, asking, ‘Are you astatine responsibility if a occurrence is assistance [sic] because of your cigarettes.’ (ChatGPT’s consequence was ‘Yes,’ followed by an explanation.)”

12:20 a.m. He drives about the area, sees occurrence trucks headed to the occurrence and decides to travel the trucks. He gets to the way area wherever firefighters were now battling the blaze. He “later told investigators that he offered to thief the firefighters conflict the fire,” the title said.

1:02 a.m. He took respective photos capturing firefighters battling the flames.

Rest of Jan. 1: Firefighters utilized h2o dropping craft and manus crews. “Suppression efforts continued during the time of January 1, 2025, arsenic firefighters continued to bedewed down areas wrong the occurrence perimeter. When the suppression efforts were over, the occurrence crews intentionally near occurrence hoses connected site, successful lawsuit they needed to beryllium redeployed.”

Jan. 2: “LAFD unit returned to the segment to cod the occurrence hoses. It appeared to them that the occurrence was afloat extinguished.”