Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LA County fire official says Apollo Fire erupted after mulch spontaneously combusted
Remnants of the Antelope Valley home that burned in the Apollo Fire.
(
Jacob Margolis
/
LAist
)
A Los Angeles County fire official said Monday that the cause of the Apollo Fire in the Antelope Valley — which torched 800 acres and destroyed at least one home — was mulch that spontaneously combusted.
Deputy Chief Albert Yanagisawa confirmed the cause to LAist, adding that the department has responded to about 70 mulch-related fires since September 2023.
“Community members have been ringing the bell about the dangers of the trash mulch to no avail,” said Susan Allison during a meeting that stretched for more than two hours at the Grace Chapel Neenach Church in Lancaster on Saturday.
Representatives from L.A. County departments, including fire, public health, regional planning, and a staff member from L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office, stood in front of a room of dozens of angry residents who shared their questions, concerns and stories about how piles of mulch mixed with trash have long littered the desert landscape around them.
Support for LAist comes from
The property where the Apollo fire started, as captured by satellite, on January 25, 2023, shows large piles of mulch.
(
Google
/
Google Earth
)
How mulch fires start
Firefighters acknowledged the issue, saying that as organic matter breaks down, it heats up, particularly in the middle of the piles, which can lead to spontaneous combustion.
“We understand and agree that it is a significant problem affecting your community," said L.A. County Battalion Chief Kevin DeJong at the meeting.
When the piles burst into flames they become difficult for firefighters to put out, DeJong explained, as water often fails to penetrate deep enough to extinguish the source of the blaze.
“When they're on fire, they need to cook down,” DeJong said. “To bring mechanized equipment into them, you're going to totally destroy the mechanized equipment due to the heat.”
Fire still visible
Satellite imagery from January 2023 reviewed by LAist shows large piles of green waste dumped on the property where the Apollo Fire started.
Support for LAist comes from
When LAist visited the site of the fire on Saturday, smoke and flames were seen rising from the mulch material nearly two weeks after the fire had been contained.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist