Firefighters Were Ordered to Leave Smoldering Burns Before Palisades Inferno: Report

Messages show firefighters warned that the ground remained hot and smoldering one day after the blaze was declared contained

Days before the deadly January wildfire that destroyed thousands of homes in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles firefighters were told to leave a still-smoldering brush fire site that investigators now say reignited into the inferno, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.

Text messages reviewed by the Times show firefighters warned their battalion chief that the ground at the so-called Lachman fire remained hot and smoldering on Jan. 2 — one day after the 8-acre blaze was declared contained. Despite their concerns, crews were ordered to roll up their hoses and leave rather than continue monitoring the area for potential reignitions.

Five days later, federal