At least five major wildfires are spreading throughout Los Angeles, scorching more than 45 square miles and putting 179,000 under evacuation due to intense winds in the area leading to hazardous conditions like polluted air and unsafe water. The damage caused has led to five people dead and more than 1,300 structures burned including two high schools in the Palisades area. As of Thursday, containment is still at 0%.
The fires are the most destructive in Los Angeles history with L.A. Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley estimating the total number of destroyed structures to climb to the thousands.
Many of the fires that began were caused by Santa Ana winds which gusted to more than 70 mph in some places. Winds dropped Thursday, but the National Weather Service says that reduced gusts can still contribute to the spread. Recent trends in Southern California show that wildfires, which typically occur because of desert winds, are becoming more common due to vegetation along the coast, which creates ideal conditions for the spread of fires. A study published by Euronews shows that global warming has contributed to a 172% increase in areas affected by wildfires in California since the 1970s.
California Governor Gavin Newsom pledged to provide federal and state resources to help fight the fires and aid in the recovery effort. Kathryn Barger, a member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, praised Newsom’s response and condemned looting of the affected areas.
In contrast, President-Elect Donald Trump blamed Newsom’s water policies for the events, saying not enough water has reached Southern California leading to fire hydrants going dry as a result. In a recent interview Wednesday, Newsom responded to Trump’s claims saying, “This guy wanted to politicize it. I have a lot of thoughts, and I know what I want to say. I won’t.”
Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly threatened to cut off disaster funding for California, prompting Newsom’s administration to create a backup emergency fund that the state could use if the option of federal aid is no longer available.
AccuWeather estimated damage from the latest fires could reach $57 billion. With recurring droughts and the peak conditions for wildfires to occur, fires will only become more common — or costly.
