Hikers who were meditating in the hills above Pacific Palisades were left terrified after they were blamed for starting the devastating fires in Los Angeles.
Beni Oren, 24, and four other men were meditating off the trail after a hike when they become the first people to spot the earliest stages of the fires that have devastated the LA area.
Footage of the group running down the hillside as they tried to escape the flames quickly went viral, sparking suspicion against them.
‘I’ve been feeling a mix of emotions. It’s definitely kind of infuriating that people are blaming us,’ Oren the Los Angeles Times.
‘Also it’s scary. Just knowing as a matter of fact of our experience that we didn’t do it but then seeing the amount of people that have different theories is overwhelming.’
He added: ‘We actually almost died and it was fairly traumatic. Going through that and then have people try to blame us pretty ruthlessly. It sucks.’
Oren said the group had their eyes closed in meditation when they all noticed the smell of fire and opened their eyes to the sight of flames cresting over the mountain.
The flames were about 10 feet high and 100 feet away, causing the men to immediately move to escape them.
Oren said they had to run uphill, almost towards the fire, to get back on the main trail and away from the blazes.
‘Once we ran out of there and made it down past Skull Rock we felt we had dodged death,’ he added. ‘It was a thrilling experience making it out close like that.’
Oren, a Malibu native, posted clips of his experience on social media, and they sparked a wave of accusations against him and the group, with people asking for officials to look into them.
Actor Rob Schneider shared the footage and wrote: ‘Investigate these kids who were right near the fires starting point… PLEASE HELP IDENTIFY.’
After a few days of similar messages directed at the group, Oren deleted his X account.
‘I literally grew up in Malibu. Why would I start this fire?’ he said. ‘If we did it, why would we post it? It really doesn’t line up once you know all the details.’
The wildfires that have ravaged the Los Angeles area since January 7 have claimed at least two dozen lives and destroyed thousands of structures.
AccuWeather, a company that provides data on weather and its impact, puts the damage and economic losses at $250 billion to $275 billion.
Fewer than 100,000 people in Los Angeles County remain under evacuation orders.
Extreme dry weather conditions due to a prolonged drought, dry vegetation and powerful Santa Ana winds that reached up to 80 mph in some areas this week created the ‘perfect storm’ for the fires.
National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said dry winds reached speeds of 40mph on Tuesday morning in coastal and valley areas and 50mph in the mountains.
Gusts up to 65mph were forecast to continue through midday Wednesday as firefighters struggle to contain the infernos.
The Palisades Fire, which had razed 23,700 acres as of 10am Tuesday, is only 17 percent contained.
Just north of Pasadena, the Eaton Fire has burned through more than 14,000 acres, and was only 35 percent contained by 10am Tuesday.
The Hurst Fire north of San Fernando is almost extinguished with a 97 percent containment after burning through 800 acres.
A fourth major blaze – the Auto Fire – broke out on Tuesday in Ventura. The latest inferno has burned through 56 acres so far and is zero percent contained, per the Cal Fire heatmap.
