Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt filed the lawsuit along with more than 20 other property owners and residents affected by the Palisades Fire.

In the era when American cities regularly caught fire, the widespread destruction seeded what looks, in retrospect, like possibility.

Winds in the area were blowing at about 20-30mph (32-48km/h), but could pick up, which would fan the blaze and make it harder for air crews to operate. Climate change has made the grasses and shrubs that are fuelling the Los Angeles fires more vulnerable to burning, scientists have said.