LOS ANGELES – Firefighters warned a battalion chief that parts of a New Year’s Day blaze in Pacific Palisades were still smoldering when they were ordered to leave the scene, five days before the fire reignited and destroyed thousands of homes, according to text messages reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.
The Times reported that firefighters mopping up the eight-acre “Lachman fire” on Jan. 2 told superiors the ground was still hot and rocks remained warm to the touch. Despite their concerns, the crew was instructed to roll up their hoses and leave.
Federal investigators later concluded the fire, believed to have been intentionally set, smoldered underground before strong winds on Jan. 7 reignited it into the deadly Palisades fire…