Alene Tchekmedyian, Hannah Fry and Richard Winton – Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles firefighters did not use thermal imaging technology to detect lingering embers underground after a New Year’s Day fire in Pacific Palisades that flared up days later to become one of the most destructive infernos in the city’s history.

Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva said in an interview this week that fire officials decided against employing the technology, which would have pinpointed heat underground, because of the fire’s eight-acre size.

In the 36-plus hours that crews spent mopping up the Jan. 1 fire, which federal prosecutors say was deliberately started along a popular hiking trail, firefighters “cold trailed” the perimeter, chopping a line around the fire and feeling for residual heat. They packed up and left on Jan. 2, then returned the next day, after a report of smoke in the area, for another round of cold trailing, Villanueva said Wednesday.

Villanueva downplayed the effectiveness of the thermal imaging cameras, noting that some chaparral in the city extends 15 to 25 feet underground, while the depth of the department’s cameras is only a foot.

“We did everything that we could do,” he said.

Los Angeles fire officials, already under scrutiny for their failure to pre-deploy engines in advance of the Palisades fire, are facing questions about why they didn’t fully extinguish the Jan. 1 fire before hurricane-force winds fanned an ember buried within the roots of dense vegetation on Jan. 7. The Palisades fire killed 12 people, charred 23,400 acres and leveled more than 6,800 structures, including many homes.

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors released documents charging a 29-year-old Uber driver with intentionally setting the Jan. 1 fire, called the Lachman fire. The documents also revealed the results of a federal investigation into the cause of the Palisades fire, which concluded that it was a “holdover fire” — defined as a fire that remains dormant for a considerable time.

An LAFD after-action report also released Wednesday described shortcomings of the department’s response to the Palisades fire, along with recommendations for improvement, but did not address the failure to prevent the “holdover” from the Lachman fire.

Fire agencies across the country, including the LAFD, often deploy drones or aircraft with thermal imaging to detect lingering heat or hot spots in a fire.

Ed Nordskog, a former arson investigator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was critical of the agency’s decision not to deploy the thermal imaging, calling it “hard to justify.”

“It is not extraordinarily difficult to do,” Nordskog said of deploying the technology. “It is specifically used to prevent rekindle fires. It is normal protocol to do it and then send back a couple of firefighters to check again.”

He added: “If they have those items and failed to employ them, that would be a major error.”

Fire experts said that in some environments, a blaze can rekindle days and even months after the initial fire is thought to be extinguished. Embers can bury deep in tree roots and chaparral, become covered in heavy ash and continue to smolder until strong winds set them free. Nordskog said that thermal imaging is the safest way to spot such embers.

It’s typical for rekindling to happen when firefighters are still on the scene, allowing them to get control of the situation quickly. But some destructive fires, including the 1991 Oakland Hills fire and the 202

Alene Tchekmedyian, Hannah Fry and Richard Winton – Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles firefighters did not use thermal imaging technology to detect lingering embers underground after a New Year’s Day fire in Pacific Palisades that flared up days later to become one of the most destructive infernos in the city’s history.

Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva said in an interview this week that fire officials decided against employing the technology, which would have pinpointed heat underground, because of the fire’s eight-acre size.

In the 36-plus hours that crews spent mopping up the Jan. 1 fire, which federal prosecutors say was deliberately started along a popular hiking trail, firefighters “cold trailed” the perimeter, chopping a line around the fire and feeling for residual heat. They packed up and left on Jan. 2, then returned the next day, after a report of smoke in the area, for another round of cold trailing, Villanueva said Wednesday.

Villanueva downplayed the effectiveness of the thermal imaging cameras, noting that some chaparral in the city extends 15 to 25 feet underground, while the depth of the department’s cameras is only a foot.

“We did everything that we could do,” he said.

Los Angeles fire officials, already under scrutiny for their failure to pre-deploy engines in advance of the Palisades fire, are facing questions about why they didn’t fully extinguish the Jan. 1 fire before hurricane-force winds fanned an ember buried within the roots of dense vegetation on Jan. 7. The Palisades fire killed 12 people, charred 23,400 acres and leveled more than 6,800 structures, including many homes.

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors released documents charging a 29-year-old Uber driver with intentionally setting the Jan. 1 fire, called the Lachman fire. The documents also revealed the results of a federal investigation into the cause of the Palisades fire, which concluded that it was a “holdover fire” — defined as a fire that remains dormant for a considerable time.

An LAFD after-action report also released Wednesday described shortcomings of the department’s response to the Palisades fire, along with recommendations for improvement, but did not address the failure to prevent the “holdover” from the Lachman fire.

Fire agencies across the country, including the LAFD, often deploy drones or aircraft with thermal imaging to detect lingering heat or hot spots in a fire.

Ed Nordskog, a former arson investigator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was critical of the agency’s decision not to deploy the thermal imaging, calling it “hard to justify.”

“It is not extraordinarily difficult to do,” Nordskog said of deploying the technology. “It is specifically used to prevent rekindle fires. It is normal protocol to do it and then send back a couple of firefighters to check again.”

He added: “If they have those items and failed to employ them, that would be a major error.”

Fire experts said that in some environments, a blaze can rekindle days and even months after the initial fire is thought to be extinguished. Embers can bury deep in tree roots and chaparral, become covered in heavy ash and continue to smolder until strong winds set them free. Nordskog said that thermal imaging is the safest way to spot such embers.

It’s typical for rekindling to happen when firefighters are still on the scene, allowing them to get control of the situation quickly. But some destructive fires, including the 1991 Oakland Hills fire and the 202

The North Liberty (IA) Fire Department is considering demolishing its 50-year-old fire house and building something new, the department said in a report on its Web site.

The department’s headquarters on Cherry Street was built in 1974, when the community’s population was about 1,500. At that time, fire service was provided entirely by volunteers who responded from home when the alarm rang—which might have happened about once a week.

In the 50 years since, both firefighting equipment and North Liberty’s landscape have changed dramatically. Today, the fire department is on pace to respond to more than 1,900 calls this year and staffs full-time crews ready to respond from the station 24 hours a day. North Liberty has grown to an estimated 23,000 residents, and the department is now responsible for protecting not just homes, but also hospitals, manufacturing facilities, restaurants, and daycares.

Fire department leadership have infrastructure limitations and impacts to day-to-day and emergency operations that come with the 50-year-old building. A reconstruction of the station is planned, with costs currently being estimated, and would be supported by revenue from LOST if approved by North Liberty voters on Nov. 4, 2025.

Infrastructure Limitations

• Because of the building’s age, the Fire Department does not have current site or construction plans, creating uncertainty in maintenance and repairs. For example, the department does not know where internal drainage lines flow, and the east pit’s cast iron drain line is deteriorating.
• The building’s 2-inch water line limits pressure and volume, slowing the refill of truck tanks after incidents.
• The facility lacks a sprinkler system, which was not required when it was built. The station now houses personnel and millions of dollars in equipment. Installing a sprinkler system is estimated to cost more than $150,000, and space for a riser is lacking.
• The building also has no monitored fire alarm system or visual/audible alerts for dorms, offices, or apparatus bays, leaving staff and equipment unprotected.
• Only one hot water heater serves the entire building, resulting in long delays for hot water in office and living areas.
• The front downspout drains onto the front apron, creating winter icing hazards. Correcting the issue would likely require disturbing the department’s memorial area.
• The east parking lot drains poorly, requiring frequent maintenance of a makeshift ditch.
• Wi-Fi connectivity is unreliable, disrupting access to reports, records, and the CAD system.
• Most flooring is carpet, which is difficult to clean or disinfect. Responders returning from medical calls may track in bacteria and viruses that survive longer on carpet than on hard surfaces.

Impacts to Emergency Operations

• The Fire Department’s current facility cannot accommodate a modern aerial truck. There are approximately 117 buildings in the community that are three stories or taller, and their height and setbacks make it difficult to operate with the department’s 75-foot aerial device. The department cannot replace or expand its ladder truck until the building is modified.
• There is no room for a larger rescue truck. The department has reached the limit of its rescue capability because of space constraints. Grain bin rescue, confined space, and water/ice rescue equipment are stored on the station floor becau

Jack Lakowsky
The Day, New London, Conn.
(TNS)

Lyme — The town wants to tear down and replace the aging Hadlyme firehouse, a building the first selectman said was in rough shape back when he was a firefighter 50 years ago.

“That was built when trucks weighed about 15,000 pounds,” First Selectman David Lahm said Tuesday. “They’re now around 35,000. The equipment’s so heavy it’s starting to damage the foundation of the building.”

The town’s other fire station, in the Hamburg section, also needs work, a renovation that will add sleeping quarters and possibly some space for the Lyme Ambulance Association, which doesn’t have a facility of its own, ambulance Chief Steve Olstein said Tuesday.

Lahm said it’s too early to estimate the cost of the renovation of the Hamburg station, which was built in the 1980s.

But Hadlyme is the bigger job.

Lahm said it will likely take five years, meaning the project will fall on the desk of Lahm’s successor, as he’s not running for reelection. He said it’s too early to estimate a cost, but based on similar projects in other towns, it could be between $3 million and $5 million.

“For a small town, that’s a significant amount of money,” he said, adding the town would seek to defray some of the the cost with grant funding and fundraising.

The Hadlyme station was built in 1965, Lahm said, making it 60 years old this year. Besides an addition in the 1970s, not much else has been done to it. Aside from being crushed beneath trucks much bigger than it was designed to house, it doesn’t have enough sleeping or office space.

“You’re sort of playing Tetris in there,” Lahm said, adding the new building will actually be smaller but built to suit modern equipment.

Olstein said the new Hadlyme station will have sleeping quarters for the ambulance service, allowing members on the overnight shift to leave home and not disturb their families if they get a late call. New administrative offices for the service are also planned.

“I’m personally very pleased,” Olstein said. “The ambulance has for a very long time been in need of suitable space.”

The fire department and the association currently share station space in both Hamburg and Hadlyme. Olstein said he believes having its own space in the two firehouses will make the ambulance association more attractive to new recruits, which the service needs.

Olstein has been in talks with the town about hiring a pair of paid part-time EMTs to fill the service’s volunteer shortage, which the chief has said will only worsen as time goes on. If that happens, he said they’ll need a place to sleep, and having one will make the service more desirable.

“We’re working together, everyone has the same agenda, and we have time to figure things out, Olstein said.

j.lakowsky@theday.com

© 2025 The Day (New London, Conn.). Visit www.theday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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