• Five men were the first to notice the Palisades fire while meditating near Skull Rock on January 7.
• After posting about their experience on social media, they faced unwarranted blame from internet users.
• The Palisades fire has consumed over 23,000 acres and resulted in multiple fatalities.
• Beni Oren, one of the trail runners, expressed the emotional strain of being incorrectly accused of causing the fire.
• Oren has since deleted his social media accounts due to the harassment from online users.

On the morning of January 7, a group of five men, including Beni Oren, a 24-year-old glamping business owner, were meditating along a trail near Skull Rock when they became the first witnesses to the early stages of the Palisades fire. Around 10:15 a.m., they simultaneously detected the scent of smoke, abruptly ending their meditation. They quickly recorded their escape from the fire, capturing video footage as they fled down the hillside away from the rising flames and smoke.

What began as a near-death experience soon devolved into an ongoing nightmare for Oren and his friends as they faced intense online scrutiny. Following the fire’s outbreak, their video went viral on platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). The lack of initial information about the fire's origin spurred many internet users to cast doubts and conspiracy theories suggesting that the men, seen close to the ignition point, must have played a role in the fire's inception. Oren remarked, “It’s definitely kind of infuriating that people are blaming us. 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” ([Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-14/he-posted-palisades-fire-start-now-the-internet-blames-him)).

As of mid-January, the Palisades fire has ravaged over 23,000 acres and resulted in the tragic loss of at least eight lives. Oren and his group had reached the peak of Skull Rock around 10 a.m. and transitioned into meditation. Upon detecting the flames approximately 100 feet away, they immediately shifted into emergency mode, running toward the main trail even as the fire spread rapidly. “Once we ran out of there... we felt we had dodged death,” Oren expressed, illustrating the danger they faced.

Despite the dramatic nature of their experience, online speculation reached a fever pitch. Comments urged investigations into the group, prompting individuals like actor Rob Schneider to amplify these claims by sharing screenshots from the initially innocent video. As the backlash escalated, Oren chose to delete his X account, fearing further misconstrued interpretations of their video would only lead to more negativity. “It really doesn’t line up once you know all the details,” he asserted regarding the unfounded allegations against him and his friends.

The experience has been particularly painful for Oren, who grew up in Malibu, an area deeply affected by wildfires. “I literally grew up in Malibu. Why would I start this fire?” he questioned, emphasizing his personal connection to the hazards of wildfires in his community. As of now, local authorities have not reached out to him regarding the incident, but investigators have acknowledged the existence of the video, indicating the situation may not be fully resolved. “We actually almost died and it was fairly traumatic,” Oren concluded as he reflected on the ordeal of surviving the fire and navigating the subsequent internet blame ([SFGate](https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/posted-videos-start-palisades-fire-internet-20034570.php)).