Who's to Blame for L.A.'s ‘Zombie Fire’?

About this episode

This episode explores the aftermath of a destructive fire in Los Angeles and the search for accountability.

On New Year’s Eve 2024, an Uber driver named Jonathan Rinderknecht allegedly started a fire in the Pacific Palisades. The fire was quickly contained, but it lingered on underground as a “zombie fire.” Days later, fueled by Santa Ana Winds, it exploded into the Palisades Fire, the most destructive conflagration in Los Angeles history. A second fire, ignited just hours later, destroyed much of neighboring Altadena. In the aftermath, angry residents wanted accountability – but who is to blame for a fire when the earth is now a tinderbox? Featured in this episode: Brad Weisshaupt, LA County Fire Department Traci Park, LA City Council India Bradley Nic Arnzen, Altadena Town Council Daniel Swain, University of California Sources: The Los Angeles Times KTLA 5 News See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Guests: Traci Park, India Bradley, Nic Arnzen, Daniel Swain

Topics covered

• fire safety
• accountability
• environmental issues
• urban fires
• community response

Keywords

• zombie fire
• Los Angeles fire
• accountability
• Santa Ana Winds
• community response

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LA County Fire Department

Places: Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Altadena

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