LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Federal prosecutors say the 30-year-old former Uber driver accused of setting a New Year’s Day 2025 fire that prosecutors say smoldered for a week and grew into the deadly Palisades Fire was fascinated by Luigi Mangione, the man charged with murdering a health insurance executive in 2024, according to court papers
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CALABASAS, Calif. (KESQ) – Fire officials gathered in Calabasas to mark Wildfire Preparedness Week, urging residents to take steps now to protect homes and families as peak fire season approaches. The Monday morning event at King Gillette Ranch brought together Cal Fire, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and a range of state, federal and
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LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – An investigation by the California Department of Insurance found that claims filed with State Farm by survivors of the 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires were “delayed, underpaid, and buried” in red tape, resulting in legal action by the office, it was announced Monday. The department’s enforcement action seeks millions of dollars
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Fire Department is prepared to issue a strong message to residents about the importance of keeping dry brush and fuels trimmed and cleared. Recent wildfires were still fresh in the memories of residents and firefighters alike. For example, the Prescott Fire this past February torched palm trees
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YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Community leaders are again encouraging residents to take steps to protect their property in our High Desert communities. It comes after the Skyline Fire in Yucca Valley destroyed four structures on Sunday. It burned 39 acres and reached full containment as of the latest update given by CAL FIRE on
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – News Channel 3 has obtained exclusive video of a house fire response earlier this week that left two firefighters injured. CALFIRE responded to the attic fire in the Heritage Palms Golf Club in Indio Monday afternoon when two firefighters fell through the roof. Both responders were transported to a nearby hospital
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LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Mayor Karen Bass said today newly released deposition testimony suggesting fire department officials were aware that a New Year’s Day blaze near Pacific Palisades was still smoldering when crews pulled out of the area was “alarming” and would be examined in an independent investigation. The Lachman Fire, which authorities say was
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LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Former Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley, who was ousted by Mayor Karen Bass in the aftermath of the deadly Palisades Fire, has sued the city over her termination, accusing the mayor of “orchestrating a campaign of retaliation” against her. In her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Friday, Crowley
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LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The Los Angeles Fire Department attempted to shield Mayor Karen Bass and other top brass from “reputational harm” caused by the city’s handling of the devastating Palisades Fire that burned 23,448 acres and killed 12 people, the Los Angeles Times reported today. The department tried to shape news media coverage with
Continue Reading LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The city of Malibu today sued the state, the city and county of Los Angeles and other entities today, accusing them of various failures that led to the start and proliferation of the Palisades Fire that destroyed hundreds of Malibu homes along with municipal facilities and infrastructure. “This decision was not
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LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The state Attorney General’s Office today announced a civil rights investigation into the response to the January 2025 Eaton Fire, questioning whether race, age or disability discrimination contributed to delays in emergency notifications and evacuations in the historically black West Altadena area. Attorney General Rob Bonta noted that the 14,000-acre
Continue Reading LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A new executive order from President Trump that was signed on Friday aims to “cut through bureaucratic red tape and speed up reconstruction in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas one year after devastating wildfires destroyed nearly 40,000 acres of homes and businesses,” according to the White House. The president
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LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – It’s been a year of hurdles, roadblocks, and varying emotions for Dave Skabinski, losing his home of 32 years in the Eaton fire. Taking it one day at a time, he’s hit his stride with a positive attitude and rebuilding with a take action approach. “But I decided Very quickly that I
Continue Reading PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (KESQ) – Saying the newspaper’s future “burned up in the fire,” the owner of the 97-year-old Palisadian-Post in Pacific Palisades announced today that the publication is ceasing operations — another victim of January’s Palisades Fire. “This time last year, we still had a future,” Alan Smolinisky wrote in a message to readers
Continue Reading ALTADENA, Calif. (KESQ) – Attorneys representing Altadena fire survivors filed a lawsuit today against Southern California Edison and Genasys Inc. over the death of a woman who died in the Eaton Fire, accusing the utility of igniting the blaze and Genasys of failing to issue evacuation warnings in her neighborhood. The lawsuit was filed
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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (KESQ) – Firefighters who were mopping up a New Year’s Day brush fire that authorities now say flared into the deadly Palisades Fire warned a battalion chief there were signs the blaze was still smoldering, but they were directed to leave the area anyway, it was reported today. Citing text messages among
Continue Reading LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The 29-year-old man accused of setting a New Year’s Day fire that prosecutors say smoldered for a week and grew into what became the deadly Palisades Fire pleaded not guilty today to a trio of federal charges. Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom to one
Continue Reading LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A federal grand jury today indicted a 29-year-old former Pacific Palisades resident who is charged with allegedly intentionally sparking what eventually became the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history. Jonathan Rinderknecht, an Uber driver who most recently lived in Florida, is charged in the three-count
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ALTADENA, Calif. (KESQ) – As Southern California Edison finalizes a forthcoming claims program for eligible individuals and businesses impacted by the Eaton Fire, residents of Altadena who lost their homes and community urged the utility today to build a “fair, reasonable and fully funded” plan that helps survivors rebuild. According to a draft released by
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INDIO, Calif. – CAL FIRE is looking to bolster its ranks as the threat of wildfires in California continues to grow. To do so, a collaborative effort between CAL FIRE and the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) to show hundreds of high school seniors possible careers in firefighting is being made in Indio. The career
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