A major federal investigation into the causes of deadly Los Angeles wildfires got underway Tuesday, and millions of people in the city scrambled for answers.
There is much speculation on social media about what caused the fire that swept through downtown Altadena and the posh Pacific Palisades neighborhood, killing at least 24 people and destroying entire communities.
Suggestions include downed power lines, deliberate arson, sporadic fireworks and rekindling of earlier fires.
But Jose Medina of the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), who is leading the investigation, said it was too early to tell.
He told reporters, “We know everyone wants answers and the community deserves answers. ATF will give you answers, but only after we have fully completed the investigation.”
ATF is working with local law enforcement as well as the Forest Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in an operation that will involve approximately 75 people.
He said fire investigators, chemists, electrical engineers and sniffer dogs trained to detect accelerants would be working hard to locate both fire locations.
A team will also be deployed to conduct interviews with potential witnesses, gather clues from the local community and online.
“We’re following up on all leads and working through all the physical evidence,” Medina said.
“ATF is committed to leveraging every available resource to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation.”
Internet users have loved a video posted by trail runners, showing them running away from smoke in the hills above Pacific Palisades.
But one of the men, Benny Oren, told the Los Angeles Times that they had nothing to do with the fire, and were in fact running for their lives in the video.
“It’s certainly infuriating that people are accusing us,” he told the newspaper.
“Just knowing as a matter of fact … that we didn’t do it, but then seeing the number of people with different theories is overwhelming.”
Several homeowners in the Altadena area have filed a lawsuit against power company Southern California Edison after a video surfaced showing flames at the base of an electrical transmission tower, local media reported.
The utility has said it does not believe there was a fault with its equipment.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
