LAKESIDE, Calif. (KGTV) - Newly obtained surveillance videos appear to show the moment the Coches Fire ignited on Sept. 8, backing fire investigators' conclusion that a vehicle caused the blaze that destroyed six homes and damaged eight other structures in Lakeside.
One of the videos, obtained by East County Magazine, captured just before 3 p.m. on Sept. 8, shows several vehicles driving along Highway 8 Business near Los Coches Road, including a white truck. About 10 seconds after the truck passes by, several small fires ignite in the brush.
"Pretty much this area is the origin, according to the video," said Patrick Ward, a freelance photographer for East County Magazine and former Cal Fire firefighter who obtained the video from a homeowner who didn't want to be identified.
The quick-moving Coches Fire destroyed six homes, damaged eight other structures and injured two people that afternoon.
"It's really rare when you’re able to catch the start of a fire and the origin of the fire," Ward said.
I brought the video to Wayne Whitney, who owns Fire Scene Analysis, a local fire investigation company. Whitney looked at the footage and said it appears consistent with an issue from a passing vehicle.
“Based on the video and not having the other information, what the video showed, it's consistent with some type of mechanical issue with a car passing by," Whitney said.
Whitney said at first glance, there doesn't appear to be anything tossed from any of the vehicles. Video from a different home also shows no one was in the immediate area when the flames ignited.
Whitney said that eliminates many causes, leaving a likely culprit: a faulty catalytic converter.
"These are fragments of a catalytic converter at two different fire scenes I investigated," Whitney said, showing me small fragments deemed the cause of two fires he's investigated.
"When these were ejected, they were super heated, in the temperature range of about 1,400 to 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit," Whitney said.
Whitney's assessment aligns with fire investigators' findings. A Cal Fire investigator has determined a vehicle was the cause of the fire.
ABC 10News has asked Cal Fire if there will be an effort to identify the driver of the vehicle involved and what penalties might be involved, and are waiting to hear back.
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