Lawsuit blames California, Los Angeles for 'rekindling' of Palisades Fire

Pacific Palisades controlled burn tonight

The ATF will do the controlled fire testing tonight through Thursday.

LOS ANGELES - A lawsuit filed relating to the deadly Palisades Fire was amended Wednesday to now also target the State of California.

"This is just sheer and utter incompetence by the government," said attorney Roger Behle. Behle is one of the attorneys representing more than 3,000 Palisades Fire victims.

Monday marked six months since the fire erupted across the area on Jan. 7, 2025. On Wednesday, California was added to the lawsuit that already included the City of Los Angeles.

"The neglect from our city, county, and state [is the most challenging part]," said resident Jessica Rogers. "The quietness you hear around here. The lack of construction."

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What they're saying:

"The state owned the land where a small 8-acre brush fire started January 1st," said Behle. "It was a bomb ready to go off. All it took was some wind and dry conditions and nobody there to monitor it. Once it started, they had further obligation to prevent the fire from escaping state land, and they also didn’t do that."

Behle is referring to the Lachman Fire that occurred on Jan. 1, the same general area where the Palisades Fire ignited on Jan. 7.

"It seems plausible," said Steve Marder, a resident. "I actually hiked up there right after New Year’s Eve. Hard to believe there was any active fire there. I guess it seems possible it got reignited."

"The fire should not have rekindled," said Behle. "That’s the state’s problem. Once it rekindled, it should not have escaped state land and then the city, for its part, should have had water available, and plenty of it."

Dig deeper:

The lawsuit also targets a lack of water supply from what was an empty Santa Ynez Reservoir, along with LADWP power lines they say were still active during the fire.

The lawyers also claim LADWP altered records relating to the fire.

"Because [LADWP] didn’t turn the power off, you’ve got all of these spot fires starting all over the palisades," said Behle. "Spreading the fire faster."

A list of allegations the attorneys are hoping to get answers for.

"I want everybody to be held accountable for their actions," said Rorgers. "I want change, and I want our community to be able to rebuild."

What we don't know:

FOX 11 has reached out to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and has not heard back.