Was the Palisades Fire started by a rekindling of a blaze from New Year’s Day?

PACIFIC PALISADES – Six days before waves of flames crashed into Pacific Palisades, another wildfire broke out on the same parched hillside.

Residents called 911 with reports of pre-dawn New Year’s Day fireworks and snapped pictures of the fledgling fire, which firefighters declared they had stomped out before it reached the neighborhood.

The Chronicle showed a pair of experts in wildfire investigations photos of both fire origins and their close proximity. The experts said severe winds could have rekindled smoldering embers from the earlier blaze and kickstarted the deadly Jan. 7 Palisades Fire – even six days later.