ATF arson investigators hit the ground running Monday at the hiking trails surrounding The Summit in Pacific Palisades, determined to uncover the cause of last week’s destructive wildfire, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

The fire, which erupted on Tuesday morning, has since devastated the scenic hills and raised alarms about the vulnerability of the area to such disasters.

Fox News reporter Bill Melugin explained the two-pronged approach the ATF team is taking:

“One team will analyze the scene, including damage and burn patterns, while another will gather surveillance video, digital evidence, etc.”

Dennis Quaid’s #1 Warning for Americans

The comprehensive investigation reflects the severity of the blaze and the need to assess its origins thoroughly.

NEW: ATF announces its elite National Response Team has arrived in LA to investigate the cause of the catastrophic #PalisadesFire. Two prongs, one team will analyze the scene, including damage & burn patterns, while another will gather surveillance video, digital evidence, etc.

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 13, 2025

BREAKING: ATF arson investigators have descended on the area of suspicion, along a hiking trail at The Summit of the Pacific Palisades #PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/9y6ktpbMSr

— Chris Cristi (@abc7chriscristi) January 13, 2025

The blaze was first noticed around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday by Kevin, a livestreamer from “Airline Videos,” while covering LAX landings.

His footage showed a plume of smoke rising in the distance, a harbinger of the destruction to come.

“Uh oh! Uh oh! Uh oh! Not something we wanna see here in Southern California,” Kevin exclaimed during the live broadcast.

“A fire has now broke out. That is looking like Encino. Uh oh. Not what we wanna see here in Southern California. A fire has now broke out there in the hills. I believe that’s looking toward possibly Bel Air, Encino”

He also pointed out the hazardous conditions fueling the fire: “This was the concern for many with these high winds and as dry as they are. Weather watch in full effect.”

NEW: My former @FOXLA colleague Kevin captured video of the moment the #PalisadesFire first broke out on Tuesday morning. He runs @airlinevideos at LAX, where he has live cameras set up.

At 10:26 AM, as a Delta flight lands, you see the first small plume of smoke in the hills… pic.twitter.com/UwkEhwfuvJ

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 9, 2025

Kevin’s commentary highlighted the danger posed by Santa Ana winds, which reached speeds of over 80 mph, rapidly spreading the flames and threatening nearby communities.

The situation worsened as Kevin panned his camera to the smoke billowing from the hills.

“With these high winds, that fire can spread really quickly,” he warned. “There are a lot of expensive homes up there in the hills.”

The fire caused significant damage to parts of the Pacific Palisades area, with many homes and natural landscapes left in ruins.

A friend who lives in Pacific Palisades sent me these horrific videos of the fire.

He just evacuated and said traffic was so bad people abandoned their cars. pic.twitter.com/mbOjz8QAf9

— Jon Michael Raasch (@JMRaasch) January 7, 2025

A 360-degree view of the aftermath paints a grim picture of the destruction, leaving residents and officials grappling with the extent of the losses.

The 360 degree annihilation of parts of Pacific Palisades is genuinely difficult to take in… pic.twitter.com/wzu2YDcND4

— alex thomson (@alextomo) January 9, 2025

As investigators work to uncover the cause, the community is bracing for answers and relief. The combination of dry conditions and powerful winds has turned this once-idyllic area into a cautionary tale of nature’s unpredictability and the need for preparedness.