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Chilling Footage Of Young Men Fleeing Apparent Starting Point Of LA Fire Sparks Wild Theories
A viral video showing a group of young men fleeing the initial site of the massive Palisades fire in Los Angeles, USA, has fueled intense online speculation and conspiracy theories.
The blaze began on January 7 near Temescal Canyon, which scorched 24,000 acres and destroyed over 12,000 structures.
Taking on his X page (formerly known as Twitter) on January 8, a man named Beni Oren uploaded a video showing six friends near a popular scenic lookout in Temescal Canyon.
Highlights
- A viral video captured a group of men fleeing the Palisades fire, sparking conspiracy theories.
- The massive Palisades fire destroyed 24,000 acres, and 12,000 structures.
- The video, by Beni Oren, amassed nearly 591,000 views online.
The video was uploaded shortly after the blaze broke out in Pacific Palisades and amassed nearly 591,000 views.
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A viral video showed a group of young men fleeing the initial site of the massive Palisades fire in Los Angeles, USA
Image credits: BeniOren1
Beni wrote in the caption: “My friends and I got ambushed by the Palisades fire soon after it started.
“We hiked up to Skull Rock and smelled smoke as we were hanging. We quickly had to run for our lives.”
The clip quickly sparked suspicions, as an X user commented: “There are no coincidences. Kids playing with matches and fire got out of control.”
Image credits: BeniOren1
“They’re running like they’re guilty. They should be interviewed by police and fire departments. The simplest answer is typically the correct answer.”
A person asked: “What exactly were you doing up there at the exact moment the fire broke out? Coincidence?”
Someone else penned: “No doubt a lightning strike started the fire on a clear day.”
The viral clip has fueled intense online speculation and conspiracy theories
Image credits: BeniOren1
A viewer questioned: “Smoking weed up there?”
A commentator wrote: “Or were you fooling around, and you started a fire, and it got out of control.
“No one else around but you is very suspicious.”
#cawx palisades fire right after it started pic.twitter.com/wg7NDsmcVo
— Beni Oren (@BeniOren1) January 8, 2025
“Barely missed the arsonist,” a netizen remarked.
A separate individual chimed in: “Almost looks like you started the fire.”
Amid the growing number of accusations against the group of men, Beni shared an update on X on Monday (January 13), stating: “Interesting to see how apophenic humans are and how quick they jump to conclusions.”
The blaze began on January 7 near Temescal Canyon, has scorched 24,000 acres, and destroyed over 12,000 structures
Image credits: Mark Viniello
Kai Cranmore, who actually shot the footage, said the group was part-way through the six-and-a-half kilometer hike when they stopped at a rigid outlook dubbed Skull Rock to meditate, News.com.au reported on Tuesday.
They reportedly sat cross-legged with their shoes off, listening to music from a portable speaker, occasionally pausing to share what they were feeling.
“We were expressing what we were feeling,” Kai told Backpack magazine. “I would say, ‘I feel the gravity pulling me towards the earth’ or ‘I feel my breath.’ And my buddy Mike was like, ‘I smell smoke.’”
Image credits: RobSchneider
Taking on his X page (formerly known as Twitter) on January 8, a man named Beni Oren uploaded a video showing six friends
Image credits: BeniOren1
The men apparently witnessed the ignition of the destructive Palisades fire.
The wildfires devastating Los Angeles, which have claimed at least 24 lives, have also ignited a frenzy of conspiracy theories online.
Speculations have ranged from claims of high-speed rail land clearing and smart meter malfunctions to wild accusations involving celebrities like Sean “Diddy” Combs.
My friends and I got ambushed by the palisades fire soon after it started. We hiked up to skull rock and smelled smoke as we were hanging. We quickly had to run for our lives. #fire #cawx #palisadesfire pic.twitter.com/lmwz4n5AT4
— Beni Oren (@BeniOren1) January 8, 2025
The video was uploaded shortly after the blaze broke out in Pacific Palisades and amassed nearly 591,000 views
Image credits: BeniOren1
As Diddy is facing more than 100 allegations of sexual abuse, including multiple accusations of rape and even child abuse, some have made baseless claims that the fires may have been started to “cover up” his alleged crimes, The Daily Mail reported on Monday.
Moreover, the disgraced hip hop star’s Los Angeles home has been untouched by the Southern California wildfire.
The lavish house in Holmby Hills, a few miles east of Beverly Hills, reportedly sits close to the Palisades fire’s path but has not been damaged by the disaster.
Image credits: ONSCENE TV
Wild accusations involving celebrities like Sean “Diddy” Combs have also circulated
Image credits: Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Catherine Austin Fitts, a former government official, has amplified the theory against Diddy by questioning how many individuals linked to the producer have managed to keep their homes safe from the destruction.
She consequently said on her podcast: “In situations like [the L.A. fires], I look at patterns.
Image credits: PrivateIncome
The fire began this month, fueled by dry conditions and strong winds common in the region during wildfire season
Image credits: ONSCENE TV
“I look at some of the communities involved. How many of the homeowners were on the P. Diddy list?”
The Diddy list is an unverified list of names of all celebrities accused of attending parties hosted by the rapper where he is alleged to be abused, according to The Mail.
The Palisades Fire is a large wildfire currently raging in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.
“That doesn’t make sense,” a reader commented
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What do you think ?
Tabitha 1 week ago
A few years ago, an abandoned cannery up the street from me burned down. Teenagers used to hang out up there, probably smoking weed. There was a bunch who rode so e really loud scooters (we used to call them fart boxes). One day, the bunch of them, along with a few older kids in cars, went up there, and not long after they all were racing away—-a split second before the rest of the neighborhood started to smell smoke and see flames, and call the fire department. Yep, the kids started the fire while horsing around and instead of putting it out while it was small, they just booked it out of there. The whole cannery building burned to the ground. I’m in the second house away from there, and I was worried about my home catching fire. Those of us in the neighborhood who saw them there that day knew who they were because most of them lived down the street from us, and law enforcement was informed. We don’t see them around the area anymore, so I don’t know what happened to them.
Binky Melnik 1 week ago
Christ; setting a fire and then running in terror from it, or leaving some e else to deal with it, is incredibly stupid. If they stay to put it out, they may very well be celebrated as heroes, so it seems staying to put the fire out would be the MUCH better idea!
Load More Replies...
SkippityBoppityBoo 1 week ago (edited)
Years ago a fire started in the north of Lancashire, UK. Noone had started it, it was due to extremely dry weather, but it ran, as wildfires do, under the ground. The same with Wildfires in Canada. Extreme heat/hot weather can spark dead wood, leaves, whatever and it starts and goes under the ground where you can't see it as an outright fire but if you know what to feel for, look for? It's there, possibly way ahead of you. Which is why you go, run and get out, as best you can.
rullyman 6 days ago
Litter can start fires too- a bottle with water can focus rays like a magnifying glass. Lithium battery in a disposable vape. A dropped cigarette.
Load More Replies...
Seán Baron 1 week ago
I’m surprised no one has blamed us Gays™️ for this as we’re always somehow involved.
marianne eliza 1 week ago (edited)
Tragically, there have always been firebugs who wait until the Santa Ana winds get bad, then go out and start fires.
Binky Melnik 1 week ago
“They’re running like they’re guilty”: What does that look like, exactly? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen “guilty running,” so I’m not sure I could recognize it. How is it different from “running like they’re afraid of third-degree burns”? Maybe my questions seem silly, but if they have answers, I definitely wanna hear ‘em!
BrownEyedPanda 5 days ago
One of them was grinning as they were running. The last time I checked, that wasn't the persona of someone running for their life.
Load More Replies...
KatSaidWhat 1 week ago
To this day, it is uncertain if I set an empty dry field alight flicking matches or someone else sparked it with a cigarette. Luckily for me, it was a very contained area and there was no property damage. And that dry field came back stronger and healthier.
Gianna Lynn 6 days ago
Ambushed, running for their lives is a joke. That's what happened to everyone else in town because they were too busy recording their screen play instead of trying to call 911. I'm not insinuating this was purposely done by one of these guys, but if smoking pot was a part of their "meditation", it could have easily caused a spark that lead to the fire. There are questionable segments of the video where one of them says, "that's exactly where we were standing" and there's laughter. The other guy is overly concerned with videoing the scene with his phone, instead of using it to even TRY to call 911. Not once did any of them even try to call for help! These guys are from this area and are well aware of the extreme fire danger and quick destruction it causes. Had they even tried to call it in, there wouldn't be so much controversy over this... they made themselves look guilty and extremely careless.
rullyman 6 days ago
The conspiracy theorists make politicians sound cool and organised, which there's no way they are. "The government torched these neighbourhoods so they could build walkable cities and high speed rail!" No they didn't, but I hope those things do get built. LA suburban sprawl is out of control and not suited to the natural environment around. Building flammable timber framed housing with loads of spacing around it for brush and air flow? Heat island effect from parking lots and highways? It's a tinderbox
kansasmagic 1 week ago
First thought: Did any of them call in the fire after leaving the area? If they didn't, why not? Second thought: This feels a little like a kid saying "I didn't do anything wrong!" before you're even aware that something happened.
tameson 5 days ago
"There are no coincidences." What a stupid statement. Of course there are! People said that was a popular hiking spot so its not a surprise that there was people up there when the fire started. And all the people saying it was a clear sky so it had to be arson. Wrong. Massive wildfires can start from a single spark. They can be started by a rock kicking up in a lawn mower. The Great Fire of 1910 probably had parts that were started by accident or arsonists but the main cause was sparks from the railway. It does sound like there have been arsonists setting buildings on fire in LA, but there is no evidence at this point that the original fires were deliberately set. Extremely high winds and extremely low humidity make for perfect conditions for devastating wildfires. All it takes is one spark.
Gianna Lynn 6 days ago
Ambushed...running for their lives? That's what happened to everyone else in this town! I'm not insinuating the fire was purposely started by one of these guys, but if smoking pot was a part of their "meditation". it could have very easily caused a spark that lead to the fire. There are questionable segments of the video where one of them says, "that's exactly where we were standing" and there's laughter. The other guy is overly concerned with videoing the whole incident instead of using his phone to even TRY to call 911. Not once did any of them say that they needed to call for help or 911 not once! If they were so scared, why laugh and waste time getting footage? A 24 year old from this area is well aware of the extreme fire danger and fast destruction it can cause. Had even one of them tried to call it in, there wouldn't be so much controversy over this... they made themselves look guilty as well as careless not even trying to help prevent this horrific devastation.
Tabitha 1 week ago
A few years ago, an abandoned cannery up the street from me burned down. Teenagers used to hang out up there, probably smoking weed. There was a bunch who rode so e really loud scooters (we used to call them fart boxes). One day, the bunch of them, along with a few older kids in cars, went up there, and not long after they all were racing away—-a split second before the rest of the neighborhood started to smell smoke and see flames, and call the fire department. Yep, the kids started the fire while horsing around and instead of putting it out while it was small, they just booked it out of there. The whole cannery building burned to the ground. I’m in the second house away from there, and I was worried about my home catching fire. Those of us in the neighborhood who saw them there that day knew who they were because most of them lived down the street from us, and law enforcement was informed. We don’t see them around the area anymore, so I don’t know what happened to them.
Binky Melnik 1 week ago
Christ; setting a fire and then running in terror from it, or leaving some e else to deal with it, is incredibly stupid. If they stay to put it out, they may very well be celebrated as heroes, so it seems staying to put the fire out would be the MUCH better idea!
Load More Replies... SkippityBoppityBoo 1 week ago (edited)
Years ago a fire started in the north of Lancashire, UK. Noone had started it, it was due to extremely dry weather, but it ran, as wildfires do, under the ground. The same with Wildfires in Canada. Extreme heat/hot weather can spark dead wood, leaves, whatever and it starts and goes under the ground where you can't see it as an outright fire but if you know what to feel for, look for? It's there, possibly way ahead of you. Which is why you go, run and get out, as best you can.
rullyman 6 days ago
Litter can start fires too- a bottle with water can focus rays like a magnifying glass. Lithium battery in a disposable vape. A dropped cigarette.
Load More Replies... Seán Baron 1 week ago
I’m surprised no one has blamed us Gays™️ for this as we’re always somehow involved.
marianne eliza 1 week ago (edited)
Tragically, there have always been firebugs who wait until the Santa Ana winds get bad, then go out and start fires.
Binky Melnik 1 week ago
“They’re running like they’re guilty”: What does that look like, exactly? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen “guilty running,” so I’m not sure I could recognize it. How is it different from “running like they’re afraid of third-degree burns”? Maybe my questions seem silly, but if they have answers, I definitely wanna hear ‘em!
BrownEyedPanda 5 days ago
One of them was grinning as they were running. The last time I checked, that wasn't the persona of someone running for their life.
Load More Replies... KatSaidWhat 1 week ago
To this day, it is uncertain if I set an empty dry field alight flicking matches or someone else sparked it with a cigarette. Luckily for me, it was a very contained area and there was no property damage. And that dry field came back stronger and healthier.
Gianna Lynn 6 days ago
Ambushed, running for their lives is a joke. That's what happened to everyone else in town because they were too busy recording their screen play instead of trying to call 911. I'm not insinuating this was purposely done by one of these guys, but if smoking pot was a part of their "meditation", it could have easily caused a spark that lead to the fire. There are questionable segments of the video where one of them says, "that's exactly where we were standing" and there's laughter. The other guy is overly concerned with videoing the scene with his phone, instead of using it to even TRY to call 911. Not once did any of them even try to call for help! These guys are from this area and are well aware of the extreme fire danger and quick destruction it causes. Had they even tried to call it in, there wouldn't be so much controversy over this... they made themselves look guilty and extremely careless.
rullyman 6 days ago
The conspiracy theorists make politicians sound cool and organised, which there's no way they are. "The government torched these neighbourhoods so they could build walkable cities and high speed rail!" No they didn't, but I hope those things do get built. LA suburban sprawl is out of control and not suited to the natural environment around. Building flammable timber framed housing with loads of spacing around it for brush and air flow? Heat island effect from parking lots and highways? It's a tinderbox
kansasmagic 1 week ago
First thought: Did any of them call in the fire after leaving the area? If they didn't, why not? Second thought: This feels a little like a kid saying "I didn't do anything wrong!" before you're even aware that something happened.
tameson 5 days ago
"There are no coincidences." What a stupid statement. Of course there are! People said that was a popular hiking spot so its not a surprise that there was people up there when the fire started. And all the people saying it was a clear sky so it had to be arson. Wrong. Massive wildfires can start from a single spark. They can be started by a rock kicking up in a lawn mower. The Great Fire of 1910 probably had parts that were started by accident or arsonists but the main cause was sparks from the railway. It does sound like there have been arsonists setting buildings on fire in LA, but there is no evidence at this point that the original fires were deliberately set. Extremely high winds and extremely low humidity make for perfect conditions for devastating wildfires. All it takes is one spark.
Gianna Lynn 6 days ago
Ambushed...running for their lives? That's what happened to everyone else in this town! I'm not insinuating the fire was purposely started by one of these guys, but if smoking pot was a part of their "meditation". it could have very easily caused a spark that lead to the fire. There are questionable segments of the video where one of them says, "that's exactly where we were standing" and there's laughter. The other guy is overly concerned with videoing the whole incident instead of using his phone to even TRY to call 911. Not once did any of them say that they needed to call for help or 911 not once! If they were so scared, why laugh and waste time getting footage? A 24 year old from this area is well aware of the extreme fire danger and fast destruction it can cause. Had even one of them tried to call it in, there wouldn't be so much controversy over this... they made themselves look guilty as well as careless not even trying to help prevent this horrific devastation.
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