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Snapshot 7:Thu, Oct 9, 2025 1:55:01 PM GMT last edited by Anna-Lisa

Ex-Uber Driver Arrested for Starting Deadly Palisades Fire

Ex-Uber Driver Arrested for Starting Deadly Palisades Fire

Ex-Uber Driver Arrested for Starting Deadly Palisades Fire
Above: Flames from the Palisades Fire on Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, Calif. on Jan. 8, 2025. Image copyright: Apu Gomes/Stringer/Getty Images

The Spin

JonathanWhile Rinderknecht's arrestmay proveshave lit the devastatinginitial Palisadesspark, Firethe wasreal entirelyissues preventableare systemic. aFirefighters singleclaimed person'sthey recklessfully obsessioncontained with fire imagery and deliberate arson caused the mostJan. destructive1 blazefire, inyet Losit Angelessmoldered history.underground Thefor evidencesix isdays overwhelmingbefore exploding monthsinto ofthe ChatGPTdeadly searchesPalisades forinferno. burningThe cities,department listeningdidn't topre-deploy rapengines songsdespite aboutextreme settingwind fires,warnings and deliberatelyfailed ignitingto vegetationconduct onproper Newthermal Year'simaging Day before calling 911 to coverdetect hishot tracksspots. ThisThe tragedyunderlying thatweather killedpatterns 12also peopleincluded andextremely destroyedstrong thousandswinds ofduring homesthe ultimatelytragedy stemmed fromblaming just one individual'sperson maliciousignores actionsbroader patterns.

WhileJonathan Rinderknecht's mayarrest haveproves lit the initialdevastating spark,Palisades theFire realwas issuesentirely arepreventable systemic. Firefightersa claimedsingle theyperson's fullyreckless containedobsession with fire imagery and deliberate arson caused the Jan.most 1destructive fire,blaze yetin itLos smolderedAngeles undergroundhistory. forThe sixevidence daysis beforeoverwhelming exploding intomonths theof deadlyChatGPT Palisadessearches inferno.for Theburning departmentcities, didn'tlistening pre-deployto enginesrap despitesongs extremeabout windsetting warningsfires, and faileddeliberately toigniting conductvegetation properon thermalNew imagingYear's Day before calling 911 to detectcover hothis spotstracks. TheThis underlyingtragedy weatherthat patternskilled also12 includedpeople extremelyand strongdestroyed windsthousands duringof thehomes tragedyultimately stemmed blamingfrom just one personindividual's ignoresmalicious broader patternsactions.

There'sWhile aRinderknecht 47%may chancehave thatlit wildfiresthe willinitial destroyspark, athe totalreal exceedingissues 10Mhaare ofsystemic. globalFirefighters treeclaimed coverthey infully anycontained yearthe Jan. 1 fire, yet it smoldered underground for six days before 2031,exploding accordinginto the deadly Palisades inferno. The department didn't pre-deploy engines despite extreme wind warnings and failed to conduct proper thermal imaging to detect hot spots. The underlying weather patterns also included extremely strong winds during the Metaculustragedy prediction communityblaming just one person ignores broader patterns.

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 47% chance that wildfires will destroy a total exceeding 10Mha of global tree cover in any year, before 2031, according to the Metaculus prediction community.



© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.17.0

© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.17.0