Seven devastating wildfires impacted San Diego County and the Los Angeles metropolitan
area between January 7 and January 31. At least 25 people have died as a result of the fires spreading across the Los Angeles area and the death toll is expected to rise. The dangerous fires sweeping across the broader Los Angeles area have burned more than 40,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,300 structures, and prompted evacuation orders and warnings for as many as 200,000 residents.
The fires have caught the attention of U.S. citizens all over the country, including PBA students and faculty who have family and friends in the area. The California fires have also brought up larger fears surrounding climate change and the environment.
Rebecca Cocco, a resident of Los Angeles, was not physically affected by the fires but had several friends who lost their homes.
“The city was very unprepared and the fireman should have been sent to the palisades at least on Monday when there were the initial warnings of what could happen,” Cocco said. “There was not enough water to fight the fires, as the reservoir was empty,”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says it has been 31 days since the city launched the
largest disaster recovery operation in the city's history. She promised there will be
independent investigations and collaboration with the governor's office, and vowed to fully rebuild the area.
On Thursday, Bass emphasized the “unprecedented” nature of the fires and defended her leadership during the crisis. She insisted her “number one focus” is protecting lives and saving homes.
“Rest assured when that is done, when we are safe, when lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, and what didn’t work, and to correct – or to hold accountable – anybody, department, individual, etcetera,” Bass said.
Kyle Van Houtan is an adjunct biology professor at Palm Beach Atlantic, Duke and
Liberty University. He spoke about how California's dry climate led to the fires.
“We had some extremely wet years followed by this being a very dry year when you have a
lot of wet years there's a lot of vegetation growth, so you have this expansion called fuel,”
said Houtan.
In California, the wet year cycle of excess vegetation, followed by dry years results in the
plants are more combustible, which leads to increased wildfire frequency and intensity.
Experts believe that climate change is producing longer and more intense dry seasons that easily lead to burning.
Wildfires are a typical occurrence in Los Angeles, particularly during dry seasons or during droughts. According to WeatherSpark, fires have been caused by strong winds and dry grass that has grown in previous years due to heavy precipitation.
Experts warn that California will only become hotter, dryer, and increasingly flammable if fossil fuels are not phased out sooner. As the climate warms, there is a shift from wetter-than-normal to drier-than-normal conditions.
By Hannah Tichenor
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