At least five people died and thousands of homes were destroyed in wildfires that ravaged several parts of Los Angeles, California, the most populous state in the United States.
More than 130,000 residents in various neighborhoods across the city of Los Angeles have been ordered to evacuate as fires that broke out on Tuesday continue to spread rapidly, fueled by strong winds.
How big are the fires currently and how did they start?
What started the California wildfires?
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the first fire broke out in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles at 10:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m. GMT) on Tuesday.
Investigators are still trying to pinpoint the exact cause of the worst firestorm in recent memory, but a combination of factors may have created optimal conditions for a blaze.
California wildfires typically occur in June and July and can last until October. This year, however, the fire defies the calendar and breaks out in January – the coldest month of winter.
Southern California, the site of the fires, was in drought and there had been no significant rainfall for months. Less than four percent of California was in drought last year, compared to nearly 60 percent this year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Climate change has contributed to an increase in the frequency, season length and area burned of wildfires, according to a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
So dry conditions supported by Santa Ana winds – dry and hot winds that are common in the area – were most likely the cause of the wildfires.
The dry desert air moves from inland towards the coast and offshore. It contributes to the start of forest fires because, due to its dryness, it significantly reduces the humidity in the environment. This leaves the vegetation very dehydrated and vulnerable to fires. Under these circumstances, any spark can start a fire, whether from a cigarette butt, a vehicle or a power line.
Gusts of up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) were recorded at higher elevations Tuesday evening, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Danielle Ehresman.
In addition to dry vegetation, Los Angeles also has other flammable materials such as low-hanging power cables and wooden telephone polls.
Santa Ana winds have been linked to extreme wildfires in California in the past, including the Woolsey fire in November 2018, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 structures.
However, experts warn that weather conditions will be terrible this year.
“We’ve really never experienced a season as dry as this, following a season as wet as the previous one – all that extra lush growth of grass and vegetation, followed by a wind event of this magnitude while it’s still incredibly dry. “said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a livestream on Monday.
How big are the wildfires in California?
Rapid spread
The fire started in Palisades on the Pacific Ocean and from there the fire quickly spread to other parts of the city. The second fire broke out in Eaton around 6pm (0200 GMT) on Tuesday. On the same day, a third fire, dubbed the Hurst Fire, also broke out in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles.
Five additional fires broke out in California on Wednesday: the Lidia, Sunset and Woodley fires in Los Angeles; the Olivas Fire in Ventura and the Tyler Fire in Riverside.
Amount of burned areas
According to Cal Fire, here is the current status of the major fires as of Wednesday evening:
- Palisades: At least 6,970 hectares (17,234 acres)
- Eaton: At least 4,290 hectares (10,600 acres)
- Hurst: At least 346 hectares (855 acres)
- Lidia: At least 140 hectares (348 acres)
- Sunset: Minimum 17 hectares (43 acres)
The Woodley Fire burned 30 acres (12 hectares) of land, while the Olivas and Tyler fires each burned 11 acres (4.5 hectares).
Here is a comparison of aerial photos of the Pacific Coast Highway before and after the Palisades Fire.
And here is Altadena before and after the Eaton fire.
Containment
The containment percentage of a fire refers to the perimeter or containment line constructed by firefighters around the fire to prevent the fire from spreading further. A containment line can be any physical barrier around the fire, such as a shallow trench dug into the earth.
The fires in California are barely contained, meaning they cannot be prevented from spreading further. The Palisades, Eaton and Sunset fires are all at zero percent containment, while the Hurst fire is at 10 percent containment and the Lidia fire is at 40 percent containment.
According to Cal Fire, the Woodley, Olivas and Tyler fires are 100 percent contained.
What was the government’s reaction?
According to the local fire department, the extent of the fires is out of control.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said in an X-Post on Wednesday evening that 7,500 firefighters were currently on site.
US President Joe Biden canceled an upcoming trip to Italy to focus on the federal response to the fire, the White House said.
Biden posted on his X account that his team had deployed five tankers and 10 firefighting helicopters. However, strong winds have hampered aerial rescue operations.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference that firefighters from six other states, including Nevada, were being sent to California. In addition, 250 engine manufacturers with 1,000 employees were relocated from Northern California to Southern California.
But resources are becoming scarce.
Water shortages in the Palisades have caused some fire hydrants to dry out.
Janisse Quinones, executive director of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said at a media conference that Pacific Palisades relies on three tanks, each holding about a million gallons (3.78 million liters). Quinones added that the need for water to extinguish fires at lower elevations leads to difficulties in refilling water tanks at higher elevations.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) has issued evacuation orders for Hollywood, Hurst and the Palisades. Click here to view the LAFD’s interactive evacuation map.
What’s next?
Winds have weakened to around 30-50 miles per hour (50-80 km/h), but fires are still active.
Unfortunately, the wind is expected to pick up speed Thursday night and Friday morning. However, these will not be as strong as the winds that intensified the fires on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Winds are expected to ease by Friday and red flag fire warnings will be removed by later evening.
