January 5, 2026 • 33 mins
January 2026 marks the one year anniversary of the LA Wild Fires. To commemorate this tragedy, and to keep the heat on LA Mayor Karen Bass and CA Governor Gavin Newsom, we're replaying our three-part series with a stunning update.
Who is to blame for the LA Wildfires? To find the answer, we tell the story behind the fires from someone who lived it. Powered by The Licorice Guy...the best licorice in America.
The Reckoning Part Two airs Tuesday, January 6th, 2026.
And coming this Friday, January 9th, 2026 - What Makes Something Valuable? In our new three-part series, we tell the fascinating story of the rise and fall of the natural diamond industry.
Support the show: https://redpilledamerica.com/support/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is Red Pilled America. Happy New Year, FAMBAM. This
month marks the one year anniversary of the LA wildfires
in the Pacific Palisades. Nearly seven thousand homes and structures burned,
but after one year, according to The Guardian, only one
home has been rebuilt in the Palisades, not a good
look for La Mayor Karen bass Or presidential hopeful and
(00:24):
California Governor Gavin Newsom. This week, we are replaying our
three part series on the LA Fires entitled The Reckoning,
and keep an eye out this Friday, January ninth, twenty
twenty six for the launch of a new three part
series entitled What Makes Something Valuable. We're telling the fascinating
story behind the rise and fall of the diamond industry,
(00:44):
and along the way we hear from Kevin de Merritt,
founder of Leir Capital, one of the largest and most
respected precious metals companies in the world, and a supporter
of Red Pilled America. We have some great stories coming
for you in twenty twenty six. To support this one
of a kind storytelling show, visit Redpilled America dot com
and click join in the top menu. Support what you
(01:05):
love or it goes away. Now on with the show.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Will it be the worst national disaster in the history
of the United States?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
I think it will be in terms of just the
costs associated with it.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
In early January twenty twenty five, not one, not two,
but six massive wildfires hit Los Angeles County and they
caused immeasurable destruction.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
This has been a really hard ten days.
Speaker 5 (01:33):
Both of our homes burned down.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Entire communities were leveled to the ground.
Speaker 6 (01:37):
This used to be a house.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
It is no longer had to tell them like, hey,
from what we know right now, your high school's gone.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
The devastation is unprecedented for Los Angeles, and with the
smoke just beginning to settle, many are now beginning to
wonder who is to blame for the LA wildfires. I'm
Patrick Carrelci.
Speaker 7 (01:57):
And I'm Adriana Cortes.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
And this is Red Pilled America, a storytelling show.
Speaker 7 (02:03):
This is not another talk show covering the day's news.
We're all about telling stories.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Stories. Hollywood doesn't want you to hear stories.
Speaker 7 (02:12):
The media mocks stories about everyday Americans of the globalist ignore.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You can think of Red Pilled America as audio documentaries,
and we promise only one thing, the truth. Welcome to
red pilled America. Who is to blame for the LA wildfires?
(02:40):
To find the answer, We're going to tell the story
behind the fire from people that lived it, and along
the way we'll get a little lesson in Los Angeles history.
Some may think it's too early to know the root
cause of this catastrophe, but if looked at close enough,
the source of the destruction is there for all to see.
(03:01):
It was a little after ten am on January seventh,
twenty twenty five, when a group of hikers found trouble.
The young men trekked up to Skull Rock, a massive
boulder on a hiking trail in the Pacific Palisades. The
group hiked up to the rock with a purpose to
participate in what one from the group called crowd sourced meditation.
(03:23):
They climbed up to the boulder, took their shoes off,
sat down with a bluetooth speaker, closed their eyes, and
one by one began to share what they were feeling.
I feel the gravity pulling me towards the earth, said
one of the hikers, a guy named Kai Cranmore. I
feel my breath, said one of his friends. Then another
chimed in. I smell smoke. Cranmore would later tell the
(03:47):
Associated Press what happened next.
Speaker 8 (03:49):
Turned around and there was a plume of smoke just
like rolling over the mountain like ray behind us. It
was probably only about fifty feet away from.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Us, Cranmore says. The group jumped to their feet, put
their shoes on, grabbed their stuff, and climbed down the boulder.
Speaker 8 (04:05):
As we got to the bottom of the rock, we
started to hear the fire crackle like right behind us,
and the wind was started to pick up really fast,
and like we we got our things and completely bucked
it as fast as we could away.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
An artist and photographer Ki Cranmore quickly pulled out his
phone and began filming their descent.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Wait, we're in a fire right now, guys, we gotta
go up.
Speaker 9 (04:25):
Let's go up.
Speaker 5 (04:26):
Let's go up, go go go go go go bend you,
bend you this night come on.
Speaker 8 (04:33):
Sight.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
They ran down the steep terrain, seemingly alone in the area,
forcing their way through the dry chaparral brush it blanketed
the hillside.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
Let's go, let's go.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Oh my god, the wind's blowing and right towards us.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
Yeah, it's so, it's so, don't go. We got this.
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
They made their way out of the brush to a
large break in the trail and began sprinting full speed
down the path. It eventually stopped to marvel at the
flames that had engulfed the very place that they just left.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
Wait, we were right behind it. It's literally quite well,
we gotta go.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
We still, let's go.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
Let's go.
Speaker 8 (05:14):
You've got to get out of here.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And this was about the time when the locals got
eyes on the blaze, and.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
It was approximately ten twenty on Tuesday morning when everything started.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
That's Andre Uyoa, the Pacific Palisades resident.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
There was a cloud of black smoke that went by
my kitchen as I was on a call.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
The husband and father of two lived in an enclave
of the Palisades known as the Highlands, a majestic coastal
community just north of Santa Monica that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
To get a handle on what was happening, Andre jumped
in his car and drove up to the hill's summit,
to a place he often hikes.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
And when I got to the top of it, I
saw the fire and it was right next to the
fire that had happened a week prior, which I believe
they were calling the Lochman Fire. I'd say within about
four hundred yards of my home.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
As he watched the fire develop, Andre caught a glimpse
of something that startled him.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
We had a reservoir they called the Santa Ynez Reservoir
up in our area. In fact, I had line of
sight when I got to the scene right as the
fire was starting. I had a line of site to
the reservoir. It was empty, visibly empty.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
It was a sign of what was to come. As
Andre reached the summit, other neighbors began noticing the smoke
as well, including Michael Valentine, a former US attorney under
Kamala Harris, who would later describe to News Nation what
he saw an.
Speaker 10 (06:39):
Intense plume of smoke that was rising and moving very fast.
It was black in some areas and white in other areas,
but you could see it was moving quickly.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
At around ten thirty am, Valentine's wife called nine one one.
As is often the case, the Los Angeles Fire Department
or LAFD, was already dealing with a few smaller fires,
but unlike most days, on this gene wordy morning, the
Santa Ana winds were blowing at about forty miles per
hour with gusts up to eighty. The LA Fire Department
(07:11):
dispatcher pulled resources from a Hollywood fire site and directed
them towards the Pacific Palisades.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Go ahead and take off down to Palasa. It sounds
like we need to bring that down there.
Speaker 11 (07:20):
Once you get up there, let me know what we're
looking like, if we've got any immediate impact to structures
and what you need. I've got twenty engine companies ordered up.
Air resources are limited because of the fire in the
Hollywood area.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
While en route, one firefighter noticed something. It appeared they
were going to the same location where a fire broke
out just a week earlier.
Speaker 11 (07:42):
We're going back up to where we were. We're in
the Lachmand Fer.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
That earlier Lockman fire was stomped out quickly. The LAFD
appeared to be taking this new blaze seriously because they
sent in the cavalcade.
Speaker 11 (07:55):
I'll let you know we do have air resources en route.
I've ordered twenty additional engine companies. Let me know what
you need even protected, and we'll get structure defense going
as well.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
The onlookers that also witnessed the Lackman fire were hopeful
that this new blaze would be stumped out just as quickly,
but by the time the first responders approached, they were
getting signals that this wildfire was about to get out
of hand.
Speaker 12 (08:20):
Okay, this he's got a really big head of steam.
It's heading forward Charmel's Drive. We have significant houses, significant
brush in that area. Char Bell's Drive is where we're
going to need some resources. I'm getting close on scene.
I'd still have eyes on it exactly. I'm going to
guess it at Dan Acres medium to heavy, a brush
(08:42):
with about a forty mile an hour win brawing towards
the ocean.
Speaker 11 (08:47):
Yeah, I pop, you all team me updated and we'll
get companies of Charmel Drive if we need to handle
the evacuation. Knock on doors and get people leaving the area.
We're gonna make stating at un Said and Palisades Drive.
Speaker 12 (09:00):
Copy that stunts up houses drive.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
The fire department has a goal of being on site
of a brush fire within five to ten minutes of
a call, but as ten minutes turned to fifteen, then twenty,
the fire quickly gained steam. Devouring the dry chapral brush
like it was gasoline. A helicopter got eyes on the
blaze and saw that it was getting ready to explode.
Speaker 11 (09:22):
The record the ballad acres in the next probably have
an impact time threat hundred twenty minute.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
By the time the fire trucks arrived, almost thirty minutes
after the first nine to one to one call, the
blaze was barreling downhill towards a spread of tightly packed homes.
A fleet of firefighters arrived, anticipating chaos to ensue.
Speaker 12 (09:47):
Thirty acres of medium to heavy brush turning towards the ocean.
Keep all companies coming, Rodger.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Just to clarify, we have pactical DAD for ten forty
one and in June two the charge and.
Speaker 12 (10:03):
Is it thirty seven?
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Tactical tack for forty two? Is it sixty seven?
Speaker 9 (10:08):
In charge?
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Is the six nine? Is an eighty eight and patrol
six nine they're ready for Simon.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It took roughly forty five minutes until firefighters began hitting
the fire with water. As the blaze reached the hour mark,
winds were pushing it southwards. It began surrounding homes. At
one residence, people had to jump into a swimming pool
to dodge the flames. Firefighters couldn't get a handle on
it because the strong winds blew embers well past the
(10:35):
body of the fire, setting multiple areas ablaze.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
In the ninety four I'm gonna need you up here
at Charmel at Turquois.
Speaker 12 (10:44):
Got a holme the center. We're starting to lose up here.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
It wasn't long before the call came in.
Speaker 11 (10:52):
I think a man wants to issue an EBAC warning
for that area, for all the Foaltate area.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
How guy, the copied EBAC warning for the whole.
Speaker 11 (11:01):
Area gives you that evacuation.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Noted now as the fire and golf the area. Andrea
Uyoa was thinking about what he should stuff in a suitcase.
This wasn't his first time facing a natural disaster.
Speaker 5 (11:16):
I grew up in Florida and when I was seventeen,
Hurricane Andrew came through and put everything under water. It
was completely submerged. We lost a lot. I'm also the
son of a Cuban immigrant and when he was fourteen
he was forced to leave Cuba, and it was the
(11:36):
idea was, you know, put a suitcase together, that's all
you can take. And so we have in our family,
a kind of a mentality of like, hey, these are
just things, you know, what's most important is that we're
all safe.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
And in that way, Andrea was lucky. His wife Alana,
was already out of the evacuation zone, and his teenage
daughter and son were flying home from a trip abroad.
A family was out of harm's way. That is, everyone
except Andre.
Speaker 5 (12:04):
I'm in the affected area. Everything I was dealing with
was engulfed in fire, and I'm in the sort of
eye of the storm.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
He knew he had to evacuate now, he just needed
to figure out what to grab.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
There's a lot of nice things, but it's like, what
are you going to put in the suitcase? Right my
wedding album. For some reason, that was the thing that
stuck out to me the most, was like, I'm going
to put the wedding album in the suitcase. Took the
important papers that we have, travel documents and birth certificates
and all that stuff, so we kind of had that
all ready to go in a go bag. I have
a firearm, we have cash on hand for those types
(12:39):
of situations. Took that with me and then took clothing.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
The first evacuation order came at twelve o seven pm,
over an hour and a half after the blaze was
first reported. By almost one pm cl four fifteen, firefighting
planes were dumping ocean water on the flames, but the
high winds kept spreading the wildfire. Andre didn't rush out
of the house when the evacuation order first hit, and
(13:04):
it turned out to be a smart move because all
hell was breaking loose at the bottom of the hill.
Speaker 13 (13:10):
And now the fire has somehow made its way along
Sunset Boulevard as it continues to try and burn towards
Gladstone's and the ocean.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Sunset Boulevard is near the base of the mountain. The
only escape route from Andrea's enclave is palis Ades Drive
and it feeds right into Sunset Boulevard. With the fire
reaching Sunset, it caused a log jam on the only
escape route and the media kempt out at the bottom
of the hill began reporting on the building situation.
Speaker 13 (13:40):
Something I'm noticing right now at Sunset and Palisades Drive
that is really haunting to me is the amount of
cars that people have left and places that you wouldn't
normally see cars. There are clearly people that did not
like sitting in this traffic. The fire was getting close
and they ditched their cars and we are seeing a
lot of vehicles everywhere.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
But the initial reports were wrong. People weren't getting tired
of waiting in their cars. They were forced to abandon
them as the fire charged down the hill. It approached
the intersection of Palisage Drive and Sunset Boulevard, where people
were stuck in gridlock. A fireman explained the situation over
(14:22):
the airwaves.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Evacuation right now, we have every broad along sun Set.
We do have light haggard. People are blocked in the
car and we're starting evacuation with people on foot.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
A few evacuees explained the chaos of the moment.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Piot and I were in the car with their dogs,
and you know, we thought everything was going to be fine.
We were just going to go down sunset'spach, just get
out of there. But the flames started, like palm trees
near us started catching on fire. And then some planes
came down the hill to the point where they may
be like ten or fifteen feet away, and either a
(15:02):
fireman or a policeman, I think it was a policeman,
started telling everybody get out of your car. If you
want to live, get out of your car, leave things,
leave the car. Need to go now, or the fire
is going to burn you.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
As the blaze approached the car stuck in gridlock, first
responders directed everyone to get out of their cars and run.
Speaker 14 (15:22):
It doesn't car.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Where's your car?
Speaker 14 (15:25):
I have to saying you have to leave it.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
I knew my car because there's a lot of fire
right there.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
We've just been evacuated from this Good Samaritans car.
Speaker 5 (15:34):
You got it, dad, We're having to walk.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
This is crazy.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
There's a fire right right outside our car.
Speaker 12 (15:40):
We got it.
Speaker 9 (15:44):
Thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 14 (15:45):
I'm gonna get your walker down.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
Hold on to that. Okay, to come on, dad, turn around.
Speaker 14 (15:50):
We got this.
Speaker 5 (15:51):
We got this. Let's go.
Speaker 15 (15:52):
They're kicking us out.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
But this created an entirely new problem in their attempt
to escape, and he panicked and began driving on the
wrong side of the road down Palace Age Drive. By
the time they approached Sunset Boulevard, both sides of the
road were blocked. The only route in and out of
the Highlands became a parking lot. Not even emergency vehicles
(16:13):
could get through. A local resident pleaded with the media
to spread a message.
Speaker 15 (16:18):
Here are Palisades Drive. If anybody has a car and
they leave the car, leave the keys in the car
so that we can move your car so that these
fire trucks can get up Palisades Drive. Really really important.
I have friends up there right now and they can't
evacuate because it's stuck on Palisades Drive.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
With the road now completely blocked, firefighters had a new
problem to contend with. By two thirty pm, the blaze
had consumed seven hundred acres as it barreled down onto
the coastal road of pch andre Uioa was trying to
time his evacuation just right.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Many people had already evacuated at that point, and I
waited for a little bit before I actually left the area,
because I just I wanted to make sure that, you know,
I wasn't going to put myself into a situation where
I couldn't get out of it.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Andre was fortunate the wind was blowing just in the
right direction to avoid his house at least for the
time being. It was a surreal moment his house was
still standing. In fact, the sky above it was the
pristine blue that so many in the Palisades pay a
premium to view, but as he looked into the distance,
you could see that he'd have to travel through armageddon
(17:33):
to escape. He waited as long as he could, then
at about five o'clock he made his move.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
I'm coming from this area that's pristine. The weather up
there was windy, but the air was clean. The visibility
was one hundred percent. I mean, there was nothing there
that would connote a fire until you pan over and
look to southeasterly type view.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Andre made his way down Palisades Drive.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
And no one knew what was going on. Authorities were
telling us, yeah, just go, but not really giving us,
you know, escape routes or anything. There's just like go,
go go, and they're not sitting there trying to have conversations.
And once you got into that ravine, i mean they're
smoldering ground happening all over you, and you were hitting
into like deep smoke. And then when I got to
(18:22):
Palasades Drive and sunset, it was really apocalyptic because they
had abandoned probably three hundred cars or so it looked like.
And then it looked like one side of the cars
had been burned, so it just looked like a bomb site.
But you know, like it was like a zombie apocalypse movie,
and then just kept getting worse and worse. It felt
(18:43):
like going into the heart of darkness, you know, and
you're just like thinking, Okay, well, when am I going
to get out of the other side.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Of this is Andre descended into the darkness. His family's
home faded into the backdrop. Its future and his were uncertain.
This was the story of almost every resident of the
Pacific Palice Aid, and before the night was over, the
unthinkable happened. At the height of the fires, and the
Palisades fire hydrants ran dry. Local real estate developer Rick
(19:13):
Caruso took to the airwaves to express his outrage.
Speaker 14 (19:16):
What is most concerning to me is our first responders,
on our firefighters who are trying to battle this. There's
no water in the palastation. There's no water coming out
of the fire hydrants, and we've got a city that's
burning and there's no resources to put out fires. So
if you look at your pictures, you don't see the
firefighters there because there's nothing they can do.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
With no water. The fires just barreled through entire neighborhoods,
and the Palisades wasn't the only one being hit. Fires
broke out in Altadena, a near Castaic Lake, two communities
northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Wildfires erupted in the Hollywood
Hills and in Silmar. They broke out in the West
Hills and near Encino. Before it was all over, the
(20:00):
devastating wildfires killed at least twenty eight pe people and
destroyed more than twelve thousand structures. As many as two
hundred thousand people were forced to evacuate their homes to
run from the flames. How did this happen? Wildfires and
heavy winds are nothing new to the area. How did
one of the most majestic places in America turn into
(20:21):
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Welcome back to Red Pill America. Wildfires are nothing new
to Los Angeles. There is evidence of them in its
(22:09):
earliest recorded history of the area. With its dry chaparral
brush and heavy winds, the Native American tribes of the
area had long had to contend with the natural fire
cycles of the region. Native oral histories and traditions often
reference the prevalence of natural fires caused by lightning strikes
or prolonged drought conditions. These fires were considered a natural
(22:32):
and necessary part of the ecosystem, aiding in the regeneration
of fire adapted plants like the chaparral brush. Those young
hikers ran through near Skull Rock. To minimize their impact,
tribes would use controlled fires to reduce excess fuel like
dry brush and undergrowth. Early European settlers and pioneers in
the eighteenth century also noted the frequent occurrence of wildfires
(22:56):
in southern California. Missionaries documented fire cycles, often describing how
smoke filled the sky during the dry summer and fall months.
Wildfires have always been prevalent in Los Angeles, but the
area had a quality that kept attracting people to the land.
The year round good weather made the area largely an
(23:17):
agricultural and ranching community in its early days. However, as
the nineteenth century progressed, the nature of the community changed.
The Los Angeles area was annexed by the United States
in eighteen forty eight after the Treaty of Wadalupe Hidalgo
ended the Mexican American War. That same year, gold was
(23:38):
discovered in California, spurring a migration to the state. Los
Angeles was incorporated as a city two years later. The
Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads of the late nineteenth
century brought people to the west. Southern California's citrus industry blossomed,
oil was discovered, and as the twentieth century kicked off,
(23:58):
the growing population demanded more water. By the early nineteen tens,
water supply expansion was under way. The completion of the
Los Angeles Aqueduct, designed by William m'holland, brought water from
the Owens Valley up north down to La enabling further
population and agricultural growth. The project was critical to the
(24:19):
transformation of Los Angeles into a major city, as local
water sources were insufficient for large scale development. Los Angeles
was heavily promoted to Americans as an affordable paradise with sunshine,
open land, and opportunities, and it was its year round
good weather that drew another industry out west. In nineteen twelve,
(24:41):
one of the first movie studios in Los Angeles was built,
but it was not in Hollywood. In Saville Studios was
erected near what is now the intersection of Palisades Drive
and Sunset Boulevard, the same place where hundreds of vehicles
were later left abandoned in Sabelle was a comprehensive film
production facility, equipped with indoor stages, outdoor sets for Westerns,
(25:05):
battle scenes and villages, and housing for cast and crew.
It was a fully self sufficient community, but just a
few years later, a major fire broke out in the
Palisades area. In Seville Studios was severely damaged. It would
cease to operate later that year. But in the nineteen twenties,
(25:25):
the film industry coalesced around Hollywood, which became synonymous with
the global entertainment industry, bringing fame and economic growth to
the city. To understand how quickly the area was growing,
in nineteen hundred, the population of Los Angeles was a
mere one hundred and two thousand. By nineteen thirty. It
swelled till one point two million, and the growth was
(25:49):
just getting started. During World War II, Los Angeles became
a major center for manufacturing, especially for the defense industry.
This war effort brought jaw ubs and new residents. Suburban
style developments began spreading rapidly, creating new neighborhoods. When the
(26:09):
war ended, an economic boom hit America and Los Angeles.
The post World War II suburbanization drove demand for affluent,
spacious neighborhoods that offered privacy and natural beauty. People again
looked to the mountains bordering the Pacific Ocean. Communities like
bel Air, Brentwood, and the Pacific Palisades became some of
(26:31):
the most desirable neighborhoods in Los Angeles and the world.
But as the area developed, fire officials began warning that
the conditions of the area, the same conditions that led
to the destruction of Inceville Studios, could lead to a
disaster in the area. In nineteen fifty nine, experts from
the National Fire Protection Association performed an assessment of the
(26:52):
Los Angeles area. They found a real problem in the
mountain ranges bordering the Pacific Ocean. Houses with combustible roofs,
were closely spaced in brush covered canyons. The areas were
serviced by narrow roads with little access to water. They
called it a design for disaster and recommended the communities
(27:12):
take immediate defensive action. They called for a ban on
wooden shingled roofs, the clearing of brush around homes, the
erection of new fire stations, and the installation of water
tanks to fight fires. But some residents resisted their recommendations,
fearing it would blemish the landscape. They argued that the
esthetically pleasing shingled roofs were not hazardous. They refused to
(27:35):
cut down the brush away from their homes because, in
their eyes, it spoiled the natural beauty of the hills,
and they rejected unsightly water tanks that would mar their
majestic views. It was a small group that they were
vocal and successfully marginalized the recommendations. It was an unfortunate
development because within two years the firemen's predictions became reality.
(28:02):
On nov November sixth, nineteen sixty one, at around eight
fifteen a m. The LA Fire Department received a call
from a construction crew about burning brush in Stone Canyon,
which was just north of Ucla. At the time, Southern
California was experiencing a drought, making the vegetation in the
bell Air, Brentwood and neighboring palisades bone dry. When the
(28:25):
call came in, the Santa Ana winds were blowing with
gusts up to sixty miles per hour. A wildfire erupted
and spread rapidly, jumping across canyons into the nearby neighborhoods
of bell Air and Brentwood, where the homes of the
rich and famous were covered by beautiful wood shingled roofs.
The results were devastating.
Speaker 9 (28:47):
Million dollar mansion of Films Dark Burt Lancaster and the
home of jo Jagabor are destroyed, along with those of
Joey Brown, John Fontaine, and Water Wager. A great majority
of houses raised by the fire were in the one
hundred thousand dollar class. Here and there at Chimneaty, a
small reminder of elegant mansions leveled by hungry plane.
Speaker 7 (29:09):
Roughly sixteen thousand acres were burned. Almost seven hundred structures
were destroyed or damaged in bel Air and Brentwood. The
neighboring Pacific Palisades was largely spared, but the fire was
a wake up call for the community. By nineteen sixty four,
the City of Los Angeles added thirteen fire stations, upgraded
(29:30):
its fire hydrant system, and added personnel to the Santa
Monica Mountains. Residents of the Palisades area also began opening
to change. For years, the Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power or LEDWP, wanted to build a reservoir in
the Santa Monica Mountains to provide additional fire protection to
the Palisades. They proposed the reservoir to be constructed in
(29:53):
the Santa Anez Canyon, far from the primary Palisades residential
area of the time. However, some Palisades homeowners were against
its construction. They feared that with additional water, more residential
developments would pop up. Environmental activists also opposed it, arguing
that the construction of a reservoir would destroy protected lands.
(30:15):
But a few years after the bel Air and Bruntwood fires,
an influential Palisades home Owners Association withdrew its objections to
the reservoir, a permit for construction was granted. The two
point five million dollar project started in nineteen sixty six.
To build the reservoir, the city of Los Angeles erected
a long, winding road starting from Sunset Boulevard, leading up
(30:38):
to the site of the construction. The road allowed construction
crews and heavy equipment to access the construction site, located
deep in the Santa Monica Mountains. The road would eventually
become Palisades Drive and the construction site would become the
Santa Ynez Reservoir. By the close of nineteen seventy, the
reservoir was completed and filled with one hundred and seventeen
(31:02):
million gallons of water. Shortly after its completion, the LAEDWP,
then chief water engineer, told the Los Angeles Times that
the reservoir was built as a pumping station to quote
increase fire protection. The Santa Ynez Reservoir was constructed to
(31:27):
save the Pacific Palisades from wildfires. Within a couple of years,
Directly adjacent to the reservoir, andre Ulloa's neighborhood, the Highlands,
began development. Residents wanted to add an additional route out
of the community, but they were consistently rebuffed by environmentalists
(31:47):
that argued an additional road would damage the hillside environment.
As a result, the highlands would only have one escape
route if a disaster were ever to occur. This was
the majestic community that would become the center point of
the horrific Palisades fe and just a decade after its groundbreaking,
a decision would be made in Washington, d C. It
(32:09):
would forever change the landscape of Los Angeles County.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
Coming up on Red Pilled America.
Speaker 14 (32:15):
The reservoir has been empty since early twenty twenty four,
when the DWP said it's rubber like cover had to
be repaired in order to protect the drinking water underneath.
Speaker 5 (32:24):
Officials with a Department of Water and Power acknowledge that
if the reservoir had been up and running, they may
have been able to keep water pressure longer or been
able to distribute water more effectively.
Speaker 14 (32:34):
Ella's Department of Water and Power says there will be
an outside investigation into the failures of the water system
during the Palisades fire.
Speaker 6 (32:42):
Do you owe citizens and apology for being absent while
their homes were burning? Do you regret coming the fire
department budget by millions of dollars out in there? Have
you nothing to say today? Have you absolutely nothing to
say to the citizens today?
Speaker 2 (32:59):
So neighbors tell me that the school Rock Trail is
popular long young people, high school and college kids. A
lot of them go up there. There's graffiti, They go
up there and smoke and drink and do all that
sort of other illegal activity for young people. So all
of this obviously is still under investigation.
Speaker 7 (33:16):
Red Pilled America is an iHeartRadio original podcast. It's owned
and produced by Patrick Carrelci and me Adrianna Cortez for
Informed Ventures.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Now.
Speaker 7 (33:24):
You can get ad free access to our entire catalog
of episodes by becoming a backstage subscriber. To subscribe, just
visit Redpilled America dot com and could join in the
top menu. Thanks for listening.
This is Red Pilled America. Happy New Year, FAMBAM. This
month marks the one year anniversary of the LA wildfires
in the Pacific Palisades. Nearly seven thousand homes and structures burned,
but after one year, according to The Guardian, only one
home has been rebuilt in the Palisades, not a good
look for La Mayor Karen bass Or presidential hopeful and
(00:24):
California Governor Gavin Newsom. This week, we are replaying our
three part series on the LA Fires entitled The Reckoning,
and keep an eye out this Friday, January ninth, twenty
twenty six for the launch of a new three part
series entitled What Makes Something Valuable. We're telling the fascinating
story behind the rise and fall of the diamond industry,
(00:44):
and along the way we hear from Kevin de Merritt,
founder of Leir Capital, one of the largest and most
respected precious metals companies in the world, and a supporter
of Red Pilled America. We have some great stories coming
for you in twenty twenty six. To support this one
of a kind storytelling show, visit Redpilled America dot com
and click join in the top menu. Support what you
(01:05):
love or it goes away. Now on with the show.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Will it be the worst national disaster in the history
of the United States?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
I think it will be in terms of just the
costs associated with it.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
In early January twenty twenty five, not one, not two,
but six massive wildfires hit Los Angeles County and they
caused immeasurable destruction.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
This has been a really hard ten days.
Speaker 5 (01:33):
Both of our homes burned down.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Entire communities were leveled to the ground.
Speaker 6 (01:37):
This used to be a house.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
It is no longer had to tell them like, hey,
from what we know right now, your high school's gone.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
The devastation is unprecedented for Los Angeles, and with the
smoke just beginning to settle, many are now beginning to
wonder who is to blame for the LA wildfires. I'm
Patrick Carrelci.
Speaker 7 (01:57):
And I'm Adriana Cortes.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
And this is Red Pilled America, a storytelling show.
Speaker 7 (02:03):
This is not another talk show covering the day's news.
We're all about telling stories.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Stories. Hollywood doesn't want you to hear stories.
Speaker 7 (02:12):
The media mocks stories about everyday Americans of the globalist ignore.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
You can think of Red Pilled America as audio documentaries,
and we promise only one thing, the truth. Welcome to
red pilled America. Who is to blame for the LA wildfires?
(02:40):
To find the answer, We're going to tell the story
behind the fire from people that lived it, and along
the way we'll get a little lesson in Los Angeles history.
Some may think it's too early to know the root
cause of this catastrophe, but if looked at close enough,
the source of the destruction is there for all to see.
(03:01):
It was a little after ten am on January seventh,
twenty twenty five, when a group of hikers found trouble.
The young men trekked up to Skull Rock, a massive
boulder on a hiking trail in the Pacific Palisades. The
group hiked up to the rock with a purpose to
participate in what one from the group called crowd sourced meditation.
(03:23):
They climbed up to the boulder, took their shoes off,
sat down with a bluetooth speaker, closed their eyes, and
one by one began to share what they were feeling.
I feel the gravity pulling me towards the earth, said
one of the hikers, a guy named Kai Cranmore. I
feel my breath, said one of his friends. Then another
chimed in. I smell smoke. Cranmore would later tell the
(03:47):
Associated Press what happened next.
Speaker 8 (03:49):
Turned around and there was a plume of smoke just
like rolling over the mountain like ray behind us. It
was probably only about fifty feet away from.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Us, Cranmore says. The group jumped to their feet, put
their shoes on, grabbed their stuff, and climbed down the boulder.
Speaker 8 (04:05):
As we got to the bottom of the rock, we
started to hear the fire crackle like right behind us,
and the wind was started to pick up really fast,
and like we we got our things and completely bucked
it as fast as we could away.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
An artist and photographer Ki Cranmore quickly pulled out his
phone and began filming their descent.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Wait, we're in a fire right now, guys, we gotta
go up.
Speaker 9 (04:25):
Let's go up.
Speaker 5 (04:26):
Let's go up, go go go go go go bend you,
bend you this night come on.
Speaker 8 (04:33):
Sight.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
They ran down the steep terrain, seemingly alone in the area,
forcing their way through the dry chaparral brush it blanketed
the hillside.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
Let's go, let's go.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Oh my god, the wind's blowing and right towards us.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
Yeah, it's so, it's so, don't go. We got this.
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
They made their way out of the brush to a
large break in the trail and began sprinting full speed
down the path. It eventually stopped to marvel at the
flames that had engulfed the very place that they just left.
Speaker 5 (05:07):
Wait, we were right behind it. It's literally quite well,
we gotta go.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
We still, let's go.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
Let's go.
Speaker 8 (05:14):
You've got to get out of here.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And this was about the time when the locals got
eyes on the blaze, and.
Speaker 5 (05:19):
It was approximately ten twenty on Tuesday morning when everything started.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
That's Andre Uyoa, the Pacific Palisades resident.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
There was a cloud of black smoke that went by
my kitchen as I was on a call.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
The husband and father of two lived in an enclave
of the Palisades known as the Highlands, a majestic coastal
community just north of Santa Monica that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.
To get a handle on what was happening, Andre jumped
in his car and drove up to the hill's summit,
to a place he often hikes.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
And when I got to the top of it, I
saw the fire and it was right next to the
fire that had happened a week prior, which I believe
they were calling the Lochman Fire. I'd say within about
four hundred yards of my home.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
As he watched the fire develop, Andre caught a glimpse
of something that startled him.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
We had a reservoir they called the Santa Ynez Reservoir
up in our area. In fact, I had line of
sight when I got to the scene right as the
fire was starting. I had a line of site to
the reservoir. It was empty, visibly empty.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
It was a sign of what was to come. As
Andre reached the summit, other neighbors began noticing the smoke
as well, including Michael Valentine, a former US attorney under
Kamala Harris, who would later describe to News Nation what
he saw an.
Speaker 10 (06:39):
Intense plume of smoke that was rising and moving very fast.
It was black in some areas and white in other areas,
but you could see it was moving quickly.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
At around ten thirty am, Valentine's wife called nine one one.
As is often the case, the Los Angeles Fire Department
or LAFD, was already dealing with a few smaller fires,
but unlike most days, on this gene wordy morning, the
Santa Ana winds were blowing at about forty miles per
hour with gusts up to eighty. The LA Fire Department
(07:11):
dispatcher pulled resources from a Hollywood fire site and directed
them towards the Pacific Palisades.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Go ahead and take off down to Palasa. It sounds
like we need to bring that down there.
Speaker 11 (07:20):
Once you get up there, let me know what we're
looking like, if we've got any immediate impact to structures
and what you need. I've got twenty engine companies ordered up.
Air resources are limited because of the fire in the
Hollywood area.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
While en route, one firefighter noticed something. It appeared they
were going to the same location where a fire broke
out just a week earlier.
Speaker 11 (07:42):
We're going back up to where we were. We're in
the Lachmand Fer.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
That earlier Lockman fire was stomped out quickly. The LAFD
appeared to be taking this new blaze seriously because they
sent in the cavalcade.
Speaker 11 (07:55):
I'll let you know we do have air resources en route.
I've ordered twenty additional engine companies. Let me know what
you need even protected, and we'll get structure defense going
as well.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
The onlookers that also witnessed the Lackman fire were hopeful
that this new blaze would be stumped out just as quickly,
but by the time the first responders approached, they were
getting signals that this wildfire was about to get out
of hand.
Speaker 12 (08:20):
Okay, this he's got a really big head of steam.
It's heading forward Charmel's Drive. We have significant houses, significant
brush in that area. Char Bell's Drive is where we're
going to need some resources. I'm getting close on scene.
I'd still have eyes on it exactly. I'm going to
guess it at Dan Acres medium to heavy, a brush
(08:42):
with about a forty mile an hour win brawing towards
the ocean.
Speaker 11 (08:47):
Yeah, I pop, you all team me updated and we'll
get companies of Charmel Drive if we need to handle
the evacuation. Knock on doors and get people leaving the area.
We're gonna make stating at un Said and Palisades Drive.
Speaker 12 (09:00):
Copy that stunts up houses drive.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
The fire department has a goal of being on site
of a brush fire within five to ten minutes of
a call, but as ten minutes turned to fifteen, then twenty,
the fire quickly gained steam. Devouring the dry chapral brush
like it was gasoline. A helicopter got eyes on the
blaze and saw that it was getting ready to explode.
Speaker 11 (09:22):
The record the ballad acres in the next probably have
an impact time threat hundred twenty minute.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
By the time the fire trucks arrived, almost thirty minutes
after the first nine to one to one call, the
blaze was barreling downhill towards a spread of tightly packed homes.
A fleet of firefighters arrived, anticipating chaos to ensue.
Speaker 12 (09:47):
Thirty acres of medium to heavy brush turning towards the ocean.
Keep all companies coming, Rodger.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Just to clarify, we have pactical DAD for ten forty
one and in June two the charge and.
Speaker 12 (10:03):
Is it thirty seven?
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Tactical tack for forty two? Is it sixty seven?
Speaker 9 (10:08):
In charge?
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Is the six nine? Is an eighty eight and patrol
six nine they're ready for Simon.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It took roughly forty five minutes until firefighters began hitting
the fire with water. As the blaze reached the hour mark,
winds were pushing it southwards. It began surrounding homes. At
one residence, people had to jump into a swimming pool
to dodge the flames. Firefighters couldn't get a handle on
it because the strong winds blew embers well past the
(10:35):
body of the fire, setting multiple areas ablaze.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
In the ninety four I'm gonna need you up here
at Charmel at Turquois.
Speaker 12 (10:44):
Got a holme the center. We're starting to lose up here.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
It wasn't long before the call came in.
Speaker 11 (10:52):
I think a man wants to issue an EBAC warning
for that area, for all the Foaltate area.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
How guy, the copied EBAC warning for the whole.
Speaker 11 (11:01):
Area gives you that evacuation.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Noted now as the fire and golf the area. Andrea
Uyoa was thinking about what he should stuff in a suitcase.
This wasn't his first time facing a natural disaster.
Speaker 5 (11:16):
I grew up in Florida and when I was seventeen,
Hurricane Andrew came through and put everything under water. It
was completely submerged. We lost a lot. I'm also the
son of a Cuban immigrant and when he was fourteen
he was forced to leave Cuba, and it was the
(11:36):
idea was, you know, put a suitcase together, that's all
you can take. And so we have in our family,
a kind of a mentality of like, hey, these are
just things, you know, what's most important is that we're
all safe.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
And in that way, Andrea was lucky. His wife Alana,
was already out of the evacuation zone, and his teenage
daughter and son were flying home from a trip abroad.
A family was out of harm's way. That is, everyone
except Andre.
Speaker 5 (12:04):
I'm in the affected area. Everything I was dealing with
was engulfed in fire, and I'm in the sort of
eye of the storm.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
He knew he had to evacuate now, he just needed
to figure out what to grab.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
There's a lot of nice things, but it's like, what
are you going to put in the suitcase? Right my
wedding album. For some reason, that was the thing that
stuck out to me the most, was like, I'm going
to put the wedding album in the suitcase. Took the
important papers that we have, travel documents and birth certificates
and all that stuff, so we kind of had that
all ready to go in a go bag. I have
a firearm, we have cash on hand for those types
(12:39):
of situations. Took that with me and then took clothing.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
The first evacuation order came at twelve o seven pm,
over an hour and a half after the blaze was
first reported. By almost one pm cl four fifteen, firefighting
planes were dumping ocean water on the flames, but the
high winds kept spreading the wildfire. Andre didn't rush out
of the house when the evacuation order first hit, and
(13:04):
it turned out to be a smart move because all
hell was breaking loose at the bottom of the hill.
Speaker 13 (13:10):
And now the fire has somehow made its way along
Sunset Boulevard as it continues to try and burn towards
Gladstone's and the ocean.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Sunset Boulevard is near the base of the mountain. The
only escape route from Andrea's enclave is palis Ades Drive
and it feeds right into Sunset Boulevard. With the fire
reaching Sunset, it caused a log jam on the only
escape route and the media kempt out at the bottom
of the hill began reporting on the building situation.
Speaker 13 (13:40):
Something I'm noticing right now at Sunset and Palisades Drive
that is really haunting to me is the amount of
cars that people have left and places that you wouldn't
normally see cars. There are clearly people that did not
like sitting in this traffic. The fire was getting close
and they ditched their cars and we are seeing a
lot of vehicles everywhere.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
But the initial reports were wrong. People weren't getting tired
of waiting in their cars. They were forced to abandon
them as the fire charged down the hill. It approached
the intersection of Palisage Drive and Sunset Boulevard, where people
were stuck in gridlock. A fireman explained the situation over
(14:22):
the airwaves.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Evacuation right now, we have every broad along sun Set.
We do have light haggard. People are blocked in the
car and we're starting evacuation with people on foot.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
A few evacuees explained the chaos of the moment.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Piot and I were in the car with their dogs,
and you know, we thought everything was going to be fine.
We were just going to go down sunset'spach, just get
out of there. But the flames started, like palm trees
near us started catching on fire. And then some planes
came down the hill to the point where they may
be like ten or fifteen feet away, and either a
(15:02):
fireman or a policeman, I think it was a policeman,
started telling everybody get out of your car. If you
want to live, get out of your car, leave things,
leave the car. Need to go now, or the fire
is going to burn you.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
As the blaze approached the car stuck in gridlock, first
responders directed everyone to get out of their cars and run.
Speaker 14 (15:22):
It doesn't car.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Where's your car?
Speaker 14 (15:25):
I have to saying you have to leave it.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
I knew my car because there's a lot of fire
right there.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
We've just been evacuated from this Good Samaritans car.
Speaker 5 (15:34):
You got it, dad, We're having to walk.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
This is crazy.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
There's a fire right right outside our car.
Speaker 12 (15:40):
We got it.
Speaker 9 (15:44):
Thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 14 (15:45):
I'm gonna get your walker down.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
Hold on to that. Okay, to come on, dad, turn around.
Speaker 14 (15:50):
We got this.
Speaker 5 (15:51):
We got this. Let's go.
Speaker 15 (15:52):
They're kicking us out.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
But this created an entirely new problem in their attempt
to escape, and he panicked and began driving on the
wrong side of the road down Palace Age Drive. By
the time they approached Sunset Boulevard, both sides of the
road were blocked. The only route in and out of
the Highlands became a parking lot. Not even emergency vehicles
(16:13):
could get through. A local resident pleaded with the media
to spread a message.
Speaker 15 (16:18):
Here are Palisades Drive. If anybody has a car and
they leave the car, leave the keys in the car
so that we can move your car so that these
fire trucks can get up Palisades Drive. Really really important.
I have friends up there right now and they can't
evacuate because it's stuck on Palisades Drive.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
With the road now completely blocked, firefighters had a new
problem to contend with. By two thirty pm, the blaze
had consumed seven hundred acres as it barreled down onto
the coastal road of pch andre Uioa was trying to
time his evacuation just right.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Many people had already evacuated at that point, and I
waited for a little bit before I actually left the area,
because I just I wanted to make sure that, you know,
I wasn't going to put myself into a situation where
I couldn't get out of it.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Andre was fortunate the wind was blowing just in the
right direction to avoid his house at least for the
time being. It was a surreal moment his house was
still standing. In fact, the sky above it was the
pristine blue that so many in the Palisades pay a
premium to view, but as he looked into the distance,
you could see that he'd have to travel through armageddon
(17:33):
to escape. He waited as long as he could, then
at about five o'clock he made his move.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
I'm coming from this area that's pristine. The weather up
there was windy, but the air was clean. The visibility
was one hundred percent. I mean, there was nothing there
that would connote a fire until you pan over and
look to southeasterly type view.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Andre made his way down Palisades Drive.
Speaker 5 (18:02):
And no one knew what was going on. Authorities were
telling us, yeah, just go, but not really giving us,
you know, escape routes or anything. There's just like go,
go go, and they're not sitting there trying to have conversations.
And once you got into that ravine, i mean they're
smoldering ground happening all over you, and you were hitting
into like deep smoke. And then when I got to
(18:22):
Palasades Drive and sunset, it was really apocalyptic because they
had abandoned probably three hundred cars or so it looked like.
And then it looked like one side of the cars
had been burned, so it just looked like a bomb site.
But you know, like it was like a zombie apocalypse movie,
and then just kept getting worse and worse. It felt
(18:43):
like going into the heart of darkness, you know, and
you're just like thinking, Okay, well, when am I going
to get out of the other side.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Of this is Andre descended into the darkness. His family's
home faded into the backdrop. Its future and his were uncertain.
This was the story of almost every resident of the
Pacific Palice Aid, and before the night was over, the
unthinkable happened. At the height of the fires, and the
Palisades fire hydrants ran dry. Local real estate developer Rick
(19:13):
Caruso took to the airwaves to express his outrage.
Speaker 14 (19:16):
What is most concerning to me is our first responders,
on our firefighters who are trying to battle this. There's
no water in the palastation. There's no water coming out
of the fire hydrants, and we've got a city that's
burning and there's no resources to put out fires. So
if you look at your pictures, you don't see the
firefighters there because there's nothing they can do.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
With no water. The fires just barreled through entire neighborhoods,
and the Palisades wasn't the only one being hit. Fires
broke out in Altadena, a near Castaic Lake, two communities
northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Wildfires erupted in the Hollywood
Hills and in Silmar. They broke out in the West
Hills and near Encino. Before it was all over, the
(20:00):
devastating wildfires killed at least twenty eight pe people and
destroyed more than twelve thousand structures. As many as two
hundred thousand people were forced to evacuate their homes to
run from the flames. How did this happen? Wildfires and
heavy winds are nothing new to the area. How did
one of the most majestic places in America turn into
(20:21):
absolute chaos in just two hours? Before we're done, we
won't answer that question and more, but first we must
understand the conditions that led to this moment. Life can
be pretty stressful these days. You want to know what
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Speaker 7 (21:47):
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and help us save America one story at a time.
Welcome back to Red Pill America. Wildfires are nothing new
to Los Angeles. There is evidence of them in its
(22:09):
earliest recorded history of the area. With its dry chaparral
brush and heavy winds, the Native American tribes of the
area had long had to contend with the natural fire
cycles of the region. Native oral histories and traditions often
reference the prevalence of natural fires caused by lightning strikes
or prolonged drought conditions. These fires were considered a natural
(22:32):
and necessary part of the ecosystem, aiding in the regeneration
of fire adapted plants like the chaparral brush. Those young
hikers ran through near Skull Rock. To minimize their impact,
tribes would use controlled fires to reduce excess fuel like
dry brush and undergrowth. Early European settlers and pioneers in
the eighteenth century also noted the frequent occurrence of wildfires
(22:56):
in southern California. Missionaries documented fire cycles, often describing how
smoke filled the sky during the dry summer and fall months.
Wildfires have always been prevalent in Los Angeles, but the
area had a quality that kept attracting people to the land.
The year round good weather made the area largely an
(23:17):
agricultural and ranching community in its early days. However, as
the nineteenth century progressed, the nature of the community changed.
The Los Angeles area was annexed by the United States
in eighteen forty eight after the Treaty of Wadalupe Hidalgo
ended the Mexican American War. That same year, gold was
(23:38):
discovered in California, spurring a migration to the state. Los
Angeles was incorporated as a city two years later. The
Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads of the late nineteenth
century brought people to the west. Southern California's citrus industry blossomed,
oil was discovered, and as the twentieth century kicked off,
(23:58):
the growing population demanded more water. By the early nineteen tens,
water supply expansion was under way. The completion of the
Los Angeles Aqueduct, designed by William m'holland, brought water from
the Owens Valley up north down to La enabling further
population and agricultural growth. The project was critical to the
(24:19):
transformation of Los Angeles into a major city, as local
water sources were insufficient for large scale development. Los Angeles
was heavily promoted to Americans as an affordable paradise with sunshine,
open land, and opportunities, and it was its year round
good weather that drew another industry out west. In nineteen twelve,
(24:41):
one of the first movie studios in Los Angeles was built,
but it was not in Hollywood. In Saville Studios was
erected near what is now the intersection of Palisades Drive
and Sunset Boulevard, the same place where hundreds of vehicles
were later left abandoned in Sabelle was a comprehensive film
production facility, equipped with indoor stages, outdoor sets for Westerns,
(25:05):
battle scenes and villages, and housing for cast and crew.
It was a fully self sufficient community, but just a
few years later, a major fire broke out in the
Palisades area. In Seville Studios was severely damaged. It would
cease to operate later that year. But in the nineteen twenties,
(25:25):
the film industry coalesced around Hollywood, which became synonymous with
the global entertainment industry, bringing fame and economic growth to
the city. To understand how quickly the area was growing,
in nineteen hundred, the population of Los Angeles was a
mere one hundred and two thousand. By nineteen thirty. It
swelled till one point two million, and the growth was
(25:49):
just getting started. During World War II, Los Angeles became
a major center for manufacturing, especially for the defense industry.
This war effort brought jaw ubs and new residents. Suburban
style developments began spreading rapidly, creating new neighborhoods. When the
(26:09):
war ended, an economic boom hit America and Los Angeles.
The post World War II suburbanization drove demand for affluent,
spacious neighborhoods that offered privacy and natural beauty. People again
looked to the mountains bordering the Pacific Ocean. Communities like
bel Air, Brentwood, and the Pacific Palisades became some of
(26:31):
the most desirable neighborhoods in Los Angeles and the world.
But as the area developed, fire officials began warning that
the conditions of the area, the same conditions that led
to the destruction of Inceville Studios, could lead to a
disaster in the area. In nineteen fifty nine, experts from
the National Fire Protection Association performed an assessment of the
(26:52):
Los Angeles area. They found a real problem in the
mountain ranges bordering the Pacific Ocean. Houses with combustible roofs,
were closely spaced in brush covered canyons. The areas were
serviced by narrow roads with little access to water. They
called it a design for disaster and recommended the communities
(27:12):
take immediate defensive action. They called for a ban on
wooden shingled roofs, the clearing of brush around homes, the
erection of new fire stations, and the installation of water
tanks to fight fires. But some residents resisted their recommendations,
fearing it would blemish the landscape. They argued that the
esthetically pleasing shingled roofs were not hazardous. They refused to
(27:35):
cut down the brush away from their homes because, in
their eyes, it spoiled the natural beauty of the hills,
and they rejected unsightly water tanks that would mar their
majestic views. It was a small group that they were
vocal and successfully marginalized the recommendations. It was an unfortunate
development because within two years the firemen's predictions became reality.
(28:02):
On nov November sixth, nineteen sixty one, at around eight
fifteen a m. The LA Fire Department received a call
from a construction crew about burning brush in Stone Canyon,
which was just north of Ucla. At the time, Southern
California was experiencing a drought, making the vegetation in the
bell Air, Brentwood and neighboring palisades bone dry. When the
(28:25):
call came in, the Santa Ana winds were blowing with
gusts up to sixty miles per hour. A wildfire erupted
and spread rapidly, jumping across canyons into the nearby neighborhoods
of bell Air and Brentwood, where the homes of the
rich and famous were covered by beautiful wood shingled roofs.
The results were devastating.
Speaker 9 (28:47):
Million dollar mansion of Films Dark Burt Lancaster and the
home of jo Jagabor are destroyed, along with those of
Joey Brown, John Fontaine, and Water Wager. A great majority
of houses raised by the fire were in the one
hundred thousand dollar class. Here and there at Chimneaty, a
small reminder of elegant mansions leveled by hungry plane.
Speaker 7 (29:09):
Roughly sixteen thousand acres were burned. Almost seven hundred structures
were destroyed or damaged in bel Air and Brentwood. The
neighboring Pacific Palisades was largely spared, but the fire was
a wake up call for the community. By nineteen sixty four,
the City of Los Angeles added thirteen fire stations, upgraded
(29:30):
its fire hydrant system, and added personnel to the Santa
Monica Mountains. Residents of the Palisades area also began opening
to change. For years, the Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power or LEDWP, wanted to build a reservoir in
the Santa Monica Mountains to provide additional fire protection to
the Palisades. They proposed the reservoir to be constructed in
(29:53):
the Santa Anez Canyon, far from the primary Palisades residential
area of the time. However, some Palisades homeowners were against
its construction. They feared that with additional water, more residential
developments would pop up. Environmental activists also opposed it, arguing
that the construction of a reservoir would destroy protected lands.
(30:15):
But a few years after the bel Air and Bruntwood fires,
an influential Palisades home Owners Association withdrew its objections to
the reservoir, a permit for construction was granted. The two
point five million dollar project started in nineteen sixty six.
To build the reservoir, the city of Los Angeles erected
a long, winding road starting from Sunset Boulevard, leading up
(30:38):
to the site of the construction. The road allowed construction
crews and heavy equipment to access the construction site, located
deep in the Santa Monica Mountains. The road would eventually
become Palisades Drive and the construction site would become the
Santa Ynez Reservoir. By the close of nineteen seventy, the
reservoir was completed and filled with one hundred and seventeen
(31:02):
million gallons of water. Shortly after its completion, the LAEDWP,
then chief water engineer, told the Los Angeles Times that
the reservoir was built as a pumping station to quote
increase fire protection. The Santa Ynez Reservoir was constructed to
(31:27):
save the Pacific Palisades from wildfires. Within a couple of years,
Directly adjacent to the reservoir, andre Ulloa's neighborhood, the Highlands,
began development. Residents wanted to add an additional route out
of the community, but they were consistently rebuffed by environmentalists
(31:47):
that argued an additional road would damage the hillside environment.
As a result, the highlands would only have one escape
route if a disaster were ever to occur. This was
the majestic community that would become the center point of
the horrific Palisades fe and just a decade after its groundbreaking,
a decision would be made in Washington, d C. It
(32:09):
would forever change the landscape of Los Angeles County.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
Coming up on Red Pilled America.
Speaker 14 (32:15):
The reservoir has been empty since early twenty twenty four,
when the DWP said it's rubber like cover had to
be repaired in order to protect the drinking water underneath.
Speaker 5 (32:24):
Officials with a Department of Water and Power acknowledge that
if the reservoir had been up and running, they may
have been able to keep water pressure longer or been
able to distribute water more effectively.
Speaker 14 (32:34):
Ella's Department of Water and Power says there will be
an outside investigation into the failures of the water system
during the Palisades fire.
Speaker 6 (32:42):
Do you owe citizens and apology for being absent while
their homes were burning? Do you regret coming the fire
department budget by millions of dollars out in there? Have
you nothing to say today? Have you absolutely nothing to
say to the citizens today?
Speaker 2 (32:59):
So neighbors tell me that the school Rock Trail is
popular long young people, high school and college kids. A
lot of them go up there. There's graffiti, They go
up there and smoke and drink and do all that
sort of other illegal activity for young people. So all
of this obviously is still under investigation.
Speaker 7 (33:16):
Red Pilled America is an iHeartRadio original podcast. It's owned
and produced by Patrick Carrelci and me Adrianna Cortez for
Informed Ventures.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Now.
Speaker 7 (33:24):
You can get ad free access to our entire catalog
of episodes by becoming a backstage subscriber. To subscribe, just
visit Redpilled America dot com and could join in the
top menu. Thanks for listening.
Hosts And Creators
Adryana Cortez
Patrick Courrielche
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