Last week, a series of fires began to spring up in various parts of Los Angeles. The Pacific Palisades saw the most damage, which has burned 23,700 acres of land, according to The New York Times. As of Jan. 18, 49% of the fire has been contained, with an estimated 6,000 structures to be damaged, which includes homes, businesses and local landmarks. North of Pasadena, the Eaton fire has become the second largest fire, burning over 14,000 acres of land. An estimated amount of 10,000 structures have been burned.
As of Jan. 18, 82,400 people remain under evacuation orders, with that number continuing to grow upwards of 90,000 more. According to Los Angeles County officials, 27 people have died due to the fires as of Sunday, making it the deadliest fire in Southern California history.
The Why
Before the fires broke out across Los Angeles, forecasters predicted the threat of fire: wind gusts had the potential to reach 50 to 80 miles per hour, which is disastrous coupled with the drought from the past year. High winds and dry air makes an ample breeding ground for fires to spark. The dry Santa Ana winds that form in the desert, from nearby states Utah and Nevada, reach Southern California and begin to warm up — creating a catalyst that is seen now. The official cause of the fires have not been confirmed, despite speculations online. Investigation on the origin is still ongoing.
Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist that studies extreme heat and its impact on human health and ecosystems, wrote for The Times and said, “One lesson climate change teaches us again and again is that bad things can happen ahead of schedule.” Once a resident of Altadena, a neighborhood near Pasadena, Kalmus left after the Bobcat fires in 2020. He expresses that extreme weather changes can become harder to predict across the United States. The issue of climate change has come up again and again, especially in areas that are prone to disaster — from Southern California and its fires to Southern U.S. and hurricane threats. Regardless of the origin of the fires, one thing is for certain: disaster relief is not caught up to the speed of weather. People are paying the price.
“And as the planet gets hotter, climate disasters will get more frequent and more intense. The cost of these fires will be immense, and they will affect the insurance industry and the housing market,” he said.
The Response
According to the New York Times, it will likely take weeks for before people can return to their cities. As of Thursday, the winds have been subsiding, and firefighters have been able to contain the smaller fires that have sprung up in the Hollywood Hills, the West Hills neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley, Angeles National Forest and Granada Hills.
To help those affected by the fires, The Los Angeles Times has complied a list of organizations that are directly contributing to help first responders, residents, families and more.
The VALLEY Instagram has been supporting disaster relief as well.
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