What caused the Palisades Fire? Temescal Ridge hiking trail report explored

A new report attributes the biggest and most destructive wildfire in the annal of Los Angeles, the Palisades Fire, to “human origins.” Per the Los Angeles Times, authorities are looking into the Temescal Ridge hiking trail as the potential origin of the fire.

The trail, which boasts a skeletal-shaped Skull Rock and Pacific Ocean views, hosted a small fire on New Year's Eve, though officials say one of their helicopters dropped water over it and put it out. It only burned for a few hours. At the time of writing, the exact origin of the fire remains unknown, though investigations are underway.

Here's all we know about the origins of the Palisades fire

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Officers have acknowledged that the trail is a go-to spot for hikers, and are aware of how close the vicinity is to the Palisades Fire. Given the high footfall the spot attracts, officials say it is possible a new flame was ignited on January 7. Theories point to fireworks.

At the time of writing, the Palisades fire alone has scorched almost 30,000 acres (47 square miles) of land, leaving well over 5,000 structures decimated in its wake. It has been burning for almost a week now. Per the BBC, lightning has been ruled out as a potential cause for the Palisades fire, despite it being the most common reason.

Thus far, there seem to be no signs of arson or utility lines, both of which are the two biggest reasons to ignite a wildfire. Nonetheless, the sources have told the LA Times that the fire seems to have "human origins," though it remains to be confirmed.

Darrin Hurwitz, a local who went hiking on the trail that day, said he noticed the remnants of the New Year's Eve fire.

"Around the same time, I noticed a bit of a smoky smell. I didn't make much of it. I figured it was either coming from somewhere else or was the remnants of the fire itself," he told The Times.

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He noticed that the smell that day was more intense, and one of his neighbors also caught a whiff of the same.

"The timing of this was about an hour before the fire," he said. "Now, what that all means, I don't know. Could it be possible that there were still some embers that weren't out and the winds were kind of rustling them up?"

At the time of writing, the largest fire still burns in the Palisades area. Well over 23,000 acres have been decimated, and only 17% of it has been contained.