Greater Los Angeles wildfires, naturally dangerous

Fires across the Los Angeles area have killed at least 27 people, destroyed more than 12,000 structures, and charred more than 60 square miles. The Palisades and Eaton wildfires continue to burn today. The winds have weakened, giving firefighters a much-needed break and easing some threats.

\The National Weather Service said dangerous conditions are to continue for a few days.

The Los Angeles area has a long history of wildfires due to its Mediterranean climate, dry vegetation, periodic droughts, and the strong seasonal Santa Ana winds. These fires have been a natural part of the region’s ecosystem for centuries but have become increasingly severe due to climate change, urban development, and other human factors. Indigenous peoples, such as the Tongva, Chumash, and others, used controlled burns to manage the land and prevent larger fires.

Naturally occurring wildfires were a part of the local landscape, maintaining balance by clearing out dead vegetation and allowing certain plants to regenerate. Santa Ana winds are known for the hot, dry weather that they bring in autumn (often the hottest of the year), but they can also arise at other times of the year. They often bring the lowest relative humidities of the year to coastal Southern California, and “beautifully clear skies”. These low humidities, combined with the warm, compression-heated air mass, plus high wind speeds, create critical fire weather conditions, and fan destructive wildfires. Besides the Sana Ana winds, rising temperatures, and prolonged droughts have intensified fire seasons. And expansion into fire-prone areas, like the wildland-urban interface, has increased risks. Also, years of accumulated dry brush act as fuel for fires. Typically, about 10 to 25 Santa Ana wind events occur annually.

The damage

At least 27 people have been killed in the wildfires.

The first wildfires in the Pacific Palisades have engulfed 9,596 hectares (23,713 acres) of land, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). More than 12,300 homes and structures have been destroyed. Two fires are active in Los Angeles County: Palisades, with 27 percent containment, and Eaton, with 55 percent containment.

L.A. is one of the least affordable major cities in the world. Even before the fires, L.A. needed to build 450,000 affordable housing units by 2029 just to meet demand, according to numbers from L.A. County. On average a new apartment building takes four years to build. Officials said tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County remain under evacuation orders. Curfews were still in effect for the Palisades and Eaton fire zones from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. An already serious Southern California housing shortage has become dire after the Los Angeles wildfires ravaged areas and destroyed more than 12,000 structures. Take an example; there is a case of a single mother to her 12-year-old daughter who has lost her Altadena duplex in the Eaton Fire. They are currently in short-term housing provided by a not-for-profit, but the worries are she won’t be able to afford new housing on her current income. Her duplex was about $1,000 below market rent.

Pacific Palisades, the Los Angeles neighborhood devastated by the Palisades Fire, is emblematic of the insurance nightmare increasingly facing homeowners in regions prone to climate disasters. Thousands of properties have been damaged or destroyed and owners are uncertain whether insurance will cover for them. The ongoing fires could become the most expensive in terms of insured losses in California history, with analysts estimating that losses could approach $20bn. The neighborhood’s 9,000 residential units have a median home value of $3.1 million, according to real estate data firm ATTOM Data. About 1,600 policies in Pacific Palisades were dropped by State Farm in July. An analysis of insurance data by CBS News San Francisco last year found that State Farm also dropped more than 2,000 policies in two other Los Angeles neighborhoods, which include the Brentwood, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and Monte Nido neighborhoods. State Farm’s decision reflects a trend of private insurers, including Allstate and Farmers Insurance, of dropping California policies or halting underwriting, leaving homeowners with the choice of getting coverage through the insurer of last resort, the California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan, or FAIR Plan, or forgo insurance altogether. The FAIR Plan provides basic fire insurance coverage for properties in high-risk areas when traditional insurance companies will not.

As a result, homeowners in Pacific Palisades had increasingly shifted to the FAIR Plan, with roughly 1,400 of the town’s 9,000 homes covered by the plan in 2024, more than quadruple the number in 2020, according to data from the insurer. In other words, before the disaster, about 1 in 7 homeowners were reliant on the FAIR Plan.

Relief efforts

As California quickly responds to active, rapidly evolving wildfires in Southern California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that more than 7,500 firefighting and emergency personnel have been deployed to protect California communities. The Governor also issued an executive order to support communities affected by the ongoing fires. The administration said that all available resources are employed to fight these wildfires, including leveraging local and federal assets. California has thousands of boots on the ground working to combat these fires. The state is leaving no stone unturned to protect California communities.

Earlier President Joe Biden quickly approved Governor Newsom’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support ongoing response efforts. The state also received continued federal assistance to combat the Fires. On Tuesday, Governor Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency.

As the people of Los Angeles and its surrounding communities begin the long and painful recovery from the region’s devastating fires help from various sources has been pouring in. Some sports organizations including the Lakers and Clippers have pledged a combined donation of $8 million. Entertainment ecosystems like Netflix and many other philanthropic organizations and others have also pledged support.

Conclusion 

Efforts have been developed over time for enhanced firefighting technology. Including aerial water drops. Also in place are the implementation of fire-resistant building codes, and community education on defensible space around homes. Use of controlled burns and vegetation management. Despite these efforts, wildfires remain persistent in the Los Angeles area, especially as fire seasons grow longer and more severe.