Questions abound over arson suspect and firefighting tactics

Time is needed to assess if more could have been done to put out earlier L.A. blaze.

- By RICHARD WINTON AND HANNAH FRY

Federal prosecutors this week revealed extensive details about the cause of a Jan. 1 fire in Pacific Palisades that six days later roared to life as the Palisades fire.

There were two major findings from the federal investigation:

■ Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, allegedly set the fire after dropping off passengers late on Dec. 31 in the Palisades.

■ Fire crews thought they had extinguished the blaze, called the Lachman fire, on Jan. 1 but in fact it was still smoldering.

There are many unanswered questions that are likely to come into focus in the coming days and weeks. One question is Rinderknecht’s alleged motive and how he actually started the fire. Another is whether firefighters could have done more to prevent the Jan. 1 fire from rekindling on Jan. 7.

“The arsonist set the first fire, but the Fire Department proactively has a duty to do certain things,” said Ed Nordskog, a former leader of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department’s arson unit.

Here is a look at what we know and don’t know.

Evidence federal authorities provided

The court papers offer a slew of evidence that prosecutors say shows that Rinderknecht, who was arrested in Florida, was on the hiking trail in the early morning hours of New Year's Day when the fire started. They include:

■ Video footage of him dropping off passengers in the area and parking his car at the Skull Rock Trailhead.

■ Photos and videos from his phone showing the early minutes of the fire on Jan. 1.

■ A witness who placed him at the scene just after the fire began.

■ Phone logs showing him call 911 after the fire began.