Spencer Pratt, who lost a bid for Los Angeles mayor he conceded Friday, is calling a Thursday blaze in Pacific Palisades a “very suspicious fire,” suggesting possible political retaliation. Fire officials say arson was notified and responded, but have not dete
On Thursday night in Pacific Palisades. firefighters were called to a two-story commercial building with light smoke showing at 6:09 p.m. By the time flames were visible on the roof and units responded from area fire stations. the scene had already taken on the kind of urgency that can’t wait for answers.
Spencer Pratt. a former reality TV star who had maintained an office in the Highlands neighborhood for his crystal business. says the fire felt different from the start. In remarks later reported by the Palisadian-Post. Pratt said the blaze was “very suspicious” and told the California Post that he is waiting for investigators to disclose details. but does not believe it was accidental.
Pratt is no stranger to the Pacific Palisades disasterscape. Last January, his home was razed by the raging flames of the Palisades Fire.
This time, Pratt described the timing as part of what troubles him. He pointed to the “contentious election” in the last two weeks and said the incident came “on the heels” of that political turmoil. He also suggested the fire could be connected to his work opposing Karen Bass and Nithya Raman. saying he would not be surprised if it were a “reprisal for my work.”.
Los Angeles Fire Department Public Service Officer Jamie Stewart said the department received the call at 6:09 p.m. Thursday reporting “a two-story commercial building with light smoke showing.” Stewart added that “arson was notified” and that LAFD arson personnel “did respond and they were on scene” of what he described as a one-alarm fire.
Fire officials have not determined what sparked the blaze.
The building superintendent offered a different view of any political link. In an interview with the Palisadian-Post. the superintendent. Oscar Chang. said he does not believe the fire is related to Pratt’s mayoral campaign. Chang said the complex was being remediated while the property waited for a permit for work on its roof.
Eyewitness accounts also shaped Chang’s account. He told the Palisadian-Post that people saw two guys exiting the building shortly before the fire was reported. Chang added that he did not believe anyone was living in the building. and said one tenant shared video with him of a homeless person right around the corner.
On Saturday morning, Pratt took to social media to discuss the Thursday fire. The blaze tore through the Highlands Circle commercial complex at 1515 Palisades Drive. The complex has been best known as the longtime home of Casa Nostra Ristorante. a beloved Italian eatery that closed a week before the Jan. 7, 2025, Palisades Fire and never reopened.
In his post. Pratt also took aim at The Los Angeles Times. referring to it as the “El Segundo Times. ” a jab tied to the location of its building in the coastal city near LAX Airport. He reiterated an allegation he made earlier that the newspaper “doxxed” him by reporting in April that he was staying in Santa Barbara County. not Los Angeles.
“The El Segundo Times were very eager to dox where my children sleep; they thought that was newsworthy,” Pratt wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Have they reported on the arsonists who set fire to my office in the middle of my election?”
Pratt’s comments landed against a backdrop of political conflict. He ran a high-profile campaign for Los Angeles mayor and, as he was reported to have conceded on Friday, the election season he referenced is fresh in the public eye.
A spokesperson for Pratt did not immediately respond to phone calls and a text message seeking comment Saturday afternoon.
Firefighters deployed multiple units to reach the blaze. The Palisadian-Post reported that on Thursday, multiple firefighting units—including two ladder trucks—were dispatched by LAFD from Fire Stations 23 and 69 in the Palisades and Station 92 in Cheviot Hills.
Video of the response, posted on the Palisadian-Post’s YouTube channel, showed smoke rising from the building as firefighters stood on the roof.
Property records and enforcement history add detail to what the building was facing before the fire. A filing in February with the L.A. City Department of Buildings and Safety proposed work for “change of use from commercial to retail, 2-story” at the property. In September, the department issued a code enforcement violation for “ABANDONED OR VACANT BUILDING LEFT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.”.
The question now for investigators is what happened in the moments before flames broke out—particularly in a neighborhood where the political and personal stakes are hard to separate. Pratt says he will wait for investigators to make the full story public. For now. officials have not ruled out anything. and the superintendent who manages the site says he does not believe the campaign is the connection.
For residents watching a familiar set of neighborhood names and tensions collide again, the timing is the part that won’t let go. Whether it becomes proof of motive—or is simply coincidence—will depend on what arson investigators find and when they decide to share it.
Spencer Pratt Los Angeles mayoral race Pacific Palisades LAFD arson investigation Highlands Circle Casa Nostra Ristorante Karen Bass Nithya Raman
Sounds like politics as usual. Fire “randomly” happens right after the election… okay.
I read “arson was notified” and that’s all I needed. Spencer Pratt really out here catching LAFD attention again. Wild.
Wait so firefighters were called at 6:09 and it was already bad by then? That makes it sound like someone planned it… or like the building was just trash. Also Pratt had that crystal office thing right? Maybe that’s why people are mad, not the mayor stuff.
Pratt saying “reprisal” is kind of a reach imo. Like arson can be anybody. But also the timing with the election is spooky. And didn’t he already lose a home in the Palisades Fire? Feels like the universe keeps picking on him… or somebody else is using his name for attention. Who knows.