Palisades Fire Was Sparked By Anti-Capitalist Motivated By Hate of Rich, Prosecutors Say
Retrial of accused arsonist is set for October
Jonathan Rinderknecht mugshot, Palisades fire (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Ira Stoll
August 6, 2026
An upcoming criminal trial may reshape public opinion about the main cause of the 2025 Palisades Fire in Southern California, redefining it as a consequence not of climate change but of class warfare.
The fire killed 12 people, burned 23,707 acres, and destroyed 6,833 structures, according to Cal Fire, the state fire agency, which ranks the blaze as the third most destructive in the state’s history.
A status conference is scheduled for later this month, and a trial is set to begin October 19, 2026, in a criminal case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, who was indicted by a grand jury late last year on three charges, including arson, related to the fire. Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty. When jurors heard the case in June, it ended in a mistrial, prompting the retrial.
https://freebeacon.com/issues/palisades-fire-was-sparked-by-anti-capitalist-motivated-by-hate-of-rich-prosecutors-say/
