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‘THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED’: SEVERAL HORRIFIC WILDFIRES RAVAGE LOS
ANGELES  
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Jake Johnson
January 8, 2025
Common Dreams
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_ "There is no 'firefighting' in these kinds of conditions," said one
meteorologist. "There is only saving as many lives as possible and
getting the heck out of the fire's way." _

Ivette Sedano sprayed water on her home, which was destroyed in the
Eaton fire.Credit..., Philip Cheung for The New York Times

 

Several major wildfires burned out of control in California's Los
Angeles County on Wednesday as roaring winds fueled the rapid spread
of the blazes, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate as state, local,
and federal officials mobilized resources to confront the emergency.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote
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late Tuesday that the city is "working aggressively" to stem the
wildfires, which scientists and government officials characterized as
uniquely devastating.

"Emergency officials, firefighters, and first responders are all hands
on deck through the night to do everything possible to protect lives,"
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said early Wednesday. The governor noted
that more than 1,400 firefighting personnel have been deployed to
"combat these unprecedented fires."

The Palisades
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and Hurst
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broke out on Tuesday. It quickly exploded amid what the National
Weather Service described
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"extremely critical fire weather," with wind gusts up to 99 mph
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the devastating blazes. The extreme winds forced emergency crews to
ground aircraft that were working to contain the fires.

"For some context, fire crews are up against near hurricane-force
winds occurring mid-winter in rugged terrain during a drought at
night," wrote
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Eric Holthaus. "There is no 'firefighting' in these kinds of
conditions. There is only saving as many lives as possible and getting
the heck out of the fire's way."

The Eaton fire, which broke out Tuesday evening in the Pasadena area,
"spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push
dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street
to a parking lot," _The Los Angeles_ Times reported
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"The residents waited there in their bedclothes as embers fell around
them until ambulances, buses, and even construction vans arrived to
take them to safety," the newspaper added.

The three fires have together burned thousands of acres so far and
destroyed or endangered tens of thousands of homes and buildings,
according to Newsom's office. So far, at least 19 school districts
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announced complete or partial closures due to the fires.

Video footage posted to social media showed residents watching in
horror as flames surrounded their homes:

Another video shows residents attempting to salvage as many belongings
as possible before fleeing:

"There has been a recent massive increase in wildfires in California
but really, a fire this big in January? This is unprecedented,"
scientist Hayley Fowler wrote
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media. "One of many extreme events fueled by the climate crisis."

Holthaus wrote
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that Southern California is "facing a rare and dangerous juxtaposition
of extreme winds and midwinter drought," the meteorologist described
as "a worrying example of the state's expanding wildfire threat as
climate change worsens."

"The National Weather Service defines 'extremely critical' fire
weather as sustained winds over 30 mph and relative humidity of less
than 10% in drought conditions and temperatures warmer than 70
degrees," Holthaus observed. "This is the first time
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history these criteria have been met anywhere in the United States
during January."

"The emergence of extreme wintertime wildfires in California," he
added, "presents one of those classic 'this is climate change'
moments: A specific set of weather conditions are now occurring in
such a way to produce the potential for rare disasters to become much
more common."

_Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams._

* wildfires
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* Los Angeles
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* Climate Change
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* megadrought
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