written 20 January, 2025
published 26 January, 2025
Parts of Los Angeles are still burning, even though I began writing this 2 weeks ago.
The region received less than 0.1" of rain since October 1st, 2024. Tuesday, January 7th, meteorological conditions created strong Santa Anna winds, rushing over the desert, down the coastal ranges, heating and drying as they progressed, blowing steadily at 50mph, gusting up to 100mph. With winds this strong, fires are unstoppable.
That afternoon, the first fire was reported in the Pacific Palisades, between Santa Monica and Malibu. This mountainous portion of the city, with narrow winding streets, has very expensive homes. A hurricane of embers swept through, fire resources were overwhelmed, and evacuation became the only possible focus. The water system, designed to supply residential needs, was exhausted within hours, leaving hydrants temporarily dry at the peak of demand. Roads became clogged, as traffic congestion caused people to abandoned their cars and run for their lives. Blocks upon blocks of housing and commercial buildings were reduced to ash and rubble, and video of the disaster made all the news outlets.
A few hours later, the Eaton fire was reported in Altadena, just north of Pasadena. With fire resources already stressed, this heavily populated area was also suddenly burning, and evacuation was again the priority. Soon, three more areas of the city were on fire, one near Hollywood and two in the San Fernando Valley.
The next day, the winds were so strong, and smoke so thick, aerial firefighting was curtailed. The extent of the damage was becoming clear. By then, the Palisades fire had consumed 26 square miles and destroyed over 1,000 structures. The second largest impact was the Eaton fire, burning 16 square miles and 900 structures. The initial death toll was five, but 130,000 had been evacuated and 1.5 million were without power.
By Thursday, winds had diminished some, allowing planes to help attack the flames. A total of six named fires were now burning, consuming a combined total of 46 square miles and 5,000 buildings.
On Friday, only the four biggest fires were still growing. The Palisades fire had burned to the ocean, and the active front was expanding north into the wild lands of the Santa Monica mountains, and west into the hills above Malibu and Pepperdine University, having consumed 31 square miles, with 8 percent containment. The Eaton fire, burning north into the San Gabriel mountains, consumed 21 square miles, was 3 percent contained. In the San Fernando valley, the Kenneth fire in the west, and the Hurst fire in the north, each burning another 1.5 square miles, were both only 1/3 contained. The death toll had reached ten, 10,000 structures had been destroyed, and 180,000 people had been evacuated.
By Sunday the 12th, the death toll was sixteen, with 62 square miles burned, but most of the power had been restored. On the 20th, the regional death toll is 27, 14,000 structures were destroyed, and the Palisades fire is only 52 percent contained.
Over 25 years, California wild fires have more than doubled in extent, as atmospheric CO2 content grows, inexorably heating the planet. 15 of the 20 most destructive fires have occurred in just the last decade. The 2018 Camp fire, which destroyed 18,800 buildings in Paradise, was the most expensive fire, but the Palisades fire is expected to top that, with regional economic impact estimates now as high as $250 billion.
But people still deny the climate crisis, even as the results make the evening news. Our newly inaugurated "blamer-in-chief" pointed the finger at Biden and Newsom, yet is unable to propose any actual solutions. Real problems require real people, but we only get a media distraction. The fires we experienced in LA will become exponentially worse, growing larger and more frequent over time, until we collectively decide enough is enough. This will be difficult to change. Not only is the magnitude of the problem vast, but the mindset that caused this is very resistant. People who are fooled are resistant to accepting they have been fooled.
But the climate crisis doesn't care what you believe or how you voted. If left unaddressed, your home and community will get dried out, burned up, flooded away, or blown to bits, no matter where you live. Our heavily leveraged, massively inequitable economy, will corrode and collapse. Do you think these fires will make home owners insurance more affordable or available?
