No 'closure' for Pacific Palisades even as the cause of the devastating fire is determined

"On Wednesday, a community already traumatized by fire had to absorb another hit. Thousands of homes were lost in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, and residents are now trying to take in the latest reveal, federal officials' finding as to what started the blaze. For many, it's hard to come to terms with. First, authorities charged Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, with intentionally setting a fire on Jan. 1 that, days later, would roar to life as the Palisades fire."

"Second, they learned that fire crews thought they had extinguished the blaze, called the Lachman fire, on the 1st. In fact, it was still smoldering. Winds on Jan. 7 brought it back to life. Rinderknecht has not entered a plea and could not be reached for comment. "I was happy to hear it wasn't some dumb teenagers, because we thought that it was fireworks," said Matt Kunitz, who lives in Pacific Palisades. "My wife and I thought that would've destroyed [some] kid's life ... whereas, in this case, it sounds like an adult arsonist.""

Federal officials charged Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, with intentionally setting a Jan. 1 fire that later became the Palisades fire. Fire crews believed they had extinguished the Lachman fire on Jan. 1, but smoldering material remained and winds on Jan. 7 caused a catastrophic re-ignition that destroyed thousands of homes. Rinderknecht has not entered a plea and could not be reached for comment. Some residents felt relief that the cause was not teenagers with fireworks, while others said the trauma and the work of recovery and rebuilding persist.

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