Los Angeles is in the headlines these days for daringly miserable reasons. Wildfires raging through the region have wrought extensive losses on man, property, and wildlife. This expresses nature's fury, as it appears to respond to mankind's greed and environmental degradation. In every space of the globe, nature is punishing mankind, after all. The latest wildfires raging through Los Angeles have probably been one of the worst in American history.
Rebuilding is going to cost "tens of billions," former US President Joe Biden says. More than 25 people have died from the fires ravaging through Los Angeles, two major blazes that have come close to inflicting tremendous damage on structures, vehicles, and infrastructure on January 15. With wonderful irony, fire has begun tapering due to dwindling winds. The devastating LA wildfires have burned down whole neighborhoods, killing over 27 folks and demolishing more than 12,000 buildings, economic loss staggering an unbelievable $275 billion. Close by, the largest fire in that Palisades area is still only about 14% contained after burning through more than 23,000 acres, all this despite thousands of firefighters working upon it. The blaze is moving east toward the upscale Brentwood neighborhood, where a world-famous art museum, the Getty Center, has already evacuated its staff. The son of a former US president has had his house razed to the ground, and due to the fire's near destruction, Kamala Harris has evacuated her home. Meanwhile, with the spread of wildfires threatening neighborhoods, much property damage has occurred in Los Angeles.
Tens of thousands of homes remain without power, unimaginable for a developed country. The fires are poised to become the costliest in U.S. history, as early estimates from AccuWeather assess damages as high as $150 billion. Currently, according to California fire authorities, there are three fires actively raging in the general region, with one smaller fire almost contained. The fire casseroles who have locations:
1. Palisades: The first fire to ignite a week ago, now the largest in the region, has burned over 23,000 acres of Pacific Palisades, an upscale neighbourhood, and is only 14% contained.
2. Eaton: This fire has taken over the northern part of Los Angeles while spreading through areas like Altadena, affecting the most land, burning 14,000 acres and is now only 33% contained.
3. Hurst: This fire started last Tuesday, just north of San Fernando, and has grown to 799 acres, but it is nearly contained.
4. Auto: This fire ignited Monday and was reportedly "stopped" after torching 56 acres. Kenneth, Archer, Sunset, Lidia, Woodley and Olives, among other working fires, continued to be fully contained.
Although fire officials said they do not yet know the exact cause of the fire, several lawsuits claim that the utility department, owned by Southern California Edison, the region's biggest power provider, can be demonstrated to be the reason that sparked this fire. The pressing question on many minds is, "Was the Los Angeles fire man-assisted?" These fires, including the massive Palisades and Eaton Blato blazes, actually began only shortly before January 13 and burned more than 62 square miles under a powerful influence from the Santa Ana winds. Another important question is why is Los Angeles still more vulnerable to wildfires. As floods and landslides last year brought an end to the long drought in LA, moisture from the later was responsible for a major bloom of vegetation that has been drying ever since the past year brought extremely dry conditions. Yet the great mystery is why have these Los Angeles fires spread so rapidly and intensely? Such phenomenon occurs regularly in Southern California from autumn and into winter, with high pressure established over the interior, and temperature gradients between Southern California's relatively warm coast and its usually cooler highlands. These conditions create strong, dry winds that blow from the mountains toward the warmer coast. They are intensified by the narrowness of the mountain valleys leading down to Los Angeles and the coast.
The New York Times reported that the fire increased speed twenty times in just a few hours, and this rapid expansion is largely attributed to drying of the forest. The last time LAX Airport saw anything close to a rainfall was in April 2024, before which it had been dry except for a total of 0.15 inches on five scanty days. On January 7, 2025, fire broke out in Pacific Palisades, east of Malibu, within Los Angeles. Within days, that fire burned 23713 acres and was 52% contained. Fire devastated LA into history with considerable loss of life and property. Thousands of residents were grievously affected and evacuated. Investigations are underway to know what or who started the fires. The scientists noted that given the absence of natural ignition sources against this time of the year, these flames must have been set by man, whether by sparks caused by power lines or fireworks, arson, or any other cause. A summer and fall that were uncommonly warm; a winter unusually dry; hills awash in parched vegetation; and brutal Santa Ana winds have all combined to bring on the destructive wildfires in Los Angeles. Scientists point out that a major reason for the most extensive fires in LA's history involves climate change caused by humans. In order to avoid the tragedies surrounding us, an important lesson we can take out of January's fire in LA is about keeping the environment free of pollution so that nature's processes can balance out. Only through that shall we stand a hope for saving ourselves from nature's disasters such as wildfires; if not, we only have ourselves to blame for suffering from such tragedies. Hence, we should vow to steward and conserve our natural setting: wildlife, forests, rivers, and mountains-for our own good.
(Vivek Koul)
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