Controlled fire testing set for this week in the area of the Palisades Fire

A controlled fire test is planned this week in the Pacific Palisades area as fire investigators continue looking into the potential origin of the deadly Palisades Fire.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is planning what they call controlled fire testing along the Temescal Ridge trail, setting the hillsides on fire Tuesday night.

It is the same area where a small New Year’s Day fire sparked behind homes along the trail in the Palisades Highlands. That fire was less than 10 acres in size and no homes were destroyed.

Then, six days later the deadly Palisades Fire began on the morning of Jan. 7 in a powerful Santa Ana windstorm.

A week after the ignition of the Palisades Fire, ATF and federal investigators flooded that neighborhood in the Highlands, focusing on that same area of Temescal ridge trail near Skull Rock, trying to figure out if that New Year's Day fire could be connected to the Palisades Fire.

LAFD Alert- #SantaMonicaMountains PUBLIC ADVISORY - Temescal Ridge Trail MAP: https://t.co/2ZgtvaRTAM @LAFD Supporting @LosAngelesATF Controlled Fire Testing That May Be Visible In This Area April 29 - May 1, 2025 - - SEE THIS LINK FOR DETAILS: https://t.co/oMWk2ul8eV

— LAFD 🔥 (@LAFD) April 29, 2025

The ATF, along with the Los Angeles Fire Department will be back in this same area for that fire testing. LA  firefighters will make sure that the flames don’t spread outside the testing zone and are tasked with protecting the area. 

"While this scientific testing will periodically include open flame in a small area that may be visible at a distance, it does not involve the burning of vegetation," the LAFD said in a statement. "Los Angeles Fire Department personnel will be present before, during, and after all testing to ensure public safety and environmental protection."

The fire testing is set to last through Thursday. No official cause for the Palisades Fire has been declared.