Destruction in California: Why Did the LA Fires Spread So Rapidly
Destruction in California: Why Did the LA Fires Spread So Rapidly
This week, an extraordinary combination of environmental factors has sparked an unprecedented wildfire across southern California.
The factors contributing to the wildfires in the Los Angeles region—hurricane-force winds and prolonged drought—signal the onset of a new phase characterized by overlapping extreme weather events occurring simultaneously and at atypical times of the year, leading to scenarios that exceed our response capacity.
On Wednesday, Joe Biden announced the Department of Defense support provision to bolster the firefighting resources of state and local agencies. This noteworthy measure underscores the strain of rapidly spreading fires on response capabilities.
As of Wednesday evening, the Palisades and Eaton fires have scorched over 10,000 acres each and remain entirely uncontained. Approximately one-third of homes and businesses throughout the vast metropolis of southern California experienced intentional power outages coordinated by the region’s principal utilities to mitigate the risk of new fires igniting from downed power lines.
The Palisades fire has now become the most devastating in the history of Los Angeles, with hundreds of homes and structures destroyed and damage so severe that it depleted municipal water sources. In Pacific Palisades, affluent residents evacuated on foot after leaving their vehicles behind in congested neighbourhoods. The rapidly encroaching fire in Pasadena forced evacuations extending into urban areas, including the well-known Rose Parade route. Initial projections of the wildfires’ total economic toll are in the tens of billions of dollars, potentially making these fires the most destructive in U.S. history—surpassing the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California.
Firefighters are contending with a second night of intense winds in rugged terrain amid drought conditions and atmospheric phenomena uncommon for southern California, particularly in January, which is usually within the rainy season—a shift in timing from other significant historical wildfires.
The upcoming days will pose a significant challenge, as persistent strong, dry winds are expected to continue into early next week, keeping the possibility for additional wildfires of comparable size to arise. In a worst-case scenario, the uncontained Palisades and Eaton fires could further infiltrate urban areas of Los Angeles. In contrast, new fires rapidly escalate out of control—invading more neighbourhoods and constricting evacuation routes faster than firefighters can respond. In such circumstances, it becomes nearly impossible to contain a wind-driven fire.
These wildfires mark a pivotal moment, not just for the residents of Los Angeles but also represent a new chapter of intricate, compounded climate disasters. The conditions required for a January firestorm in Los Angeles have never before been recorded in history. The straightforward conclusion is that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are intensifying the climate crisis and contributing to the increasing frequency of large wildfires in California.
As the climate heats up, warmer air accelerates water evaporation, which can worsen drought conditions more swiftly. The melting ice in the Arctic alters the jet stream’s behaviour, increasing the likelihood of wind-driven large wildfires in California. Recent research suggests that while Santa Ana wind events become less frequent, they could become more intense during winter due to the climate crisis.
The more complex explanation is that these fires exemplify a broader issue that climate scientists have been alerting us to for decades: compound climate disasters that, when they occur together, inflict more significant damage than if they happened separately. As the climate crisis progresses, the interconnected atmospheric, oceanic, and ecological systems that support human civilization will provoke compounding and regime-shifting changes that are challenging to forecast. This concept was central to the Biden administration’s national climate assessment in 2023.
In the 16 months following the city’s first encounter with a tropical storm, Southern California experienced its hottest summer. It started this year’s rainy season with just 2% of the usual rainfall—marking its driest stretch ever. The vegetation from the deluge caused by the 2023 tropical storm remains, contributing additional fuel for wildfires.
By itself, that situation would be a disaster waiting to happen. However, combined with this week’s extraordinary Santa Ana wind storm, which has shattered wind speed records throughout the region with gusts reaching up to 100 mph early on Wednesday, extreme conditions suitable for wildfires have emerged. These conditions would challenge the state’s resources even at the height of summer fire season—especially alarming during January when many firefighters are on leave and equipment is stored for the season.This illustrates how tipping points are reached.
Such scenarios are occurring globally, not just in wildfires. The 2020 and 2021 hurricane seasons witnessed seven major hurricanes impacting Louisiana and the central Gulf coast, sometimes just weeks apart. A similar series of hurricanes struck Florida last year. In 2023, wildfires scorched an area in Canada that was more than twice the previous record, sending substantial smoke across the continent and raising public health concerns for millions downwind.
In the upcoming weeks and months, as the rainy season resumes and another atmospheric river approaches, Los Angeles will be at a heightened risk of catastrophic flooding in areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires, further complicating the disaster for local residents.
Why Are California Wildfires Happening Off-Season? Key Factors Behind the Change
SOURCE:www.theguardian.com
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