The Fires That Set LA Ablaze

On Tuesday, January 7, 2025, a set of wildfires were first reported in the Palisades, Hurst, Auto, and Eaton areas of Los Angeles. By the following week, at least 25 people had died and over 23,000 acres of land had been burned down. Many residents had to evacuate as 12,000 structures have been destroyed, totaling up to $150 billion in damage. Hence, these wildfires are considered the most destructive wildland fires in Los Angeles history. However, these severe wildfires were expected due to the natural susceptibility of California’s climate to wildfires.

A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire that burns in a natural area. A fire ignites if it has sufficient fuel, oxygen, and heat — three factors known as the Fire Triangle. Oxygen and fuel are needed to sustain a combustion, a chemical reaction in which fuel (like dry leaves, grasses, and branches) and oxygen produce carbon dioxide and water. A certain amount of heat— known as the ignition point—is needed for the reaction and ignition to occur. Due to heat, the rising carbon atoms emit firelight. Natural wildfires are often caused by lightning strikes or spontaneous combustion. On the other hand, artificial (human-caused) wildfires are usually sparked by vehicle fires, cigarette butts, and unattended campfires.

The wildfires in Los Angeles were triggered and exacerbated by a variety of environmental factors. Firstly, Los Angeles severely lacked rain. It had only received 0.16 inches of rain since May 2024. As a result, the dry vegetation became more combustible. Fuels that have more moisture are less combustible because in order for fuel to reach its ignition point temperature, all of the liquid water must first be removed from the fuel by evaporating as steam. Moister fuels require a higher temperature for ignition and are therefore harder to combust. Moreover, California’s natural variability between wet and dry conditions is also a factor. During 2022 and 2023, California endured heavy precipitation which resulted in a plethora of vegetation. However, this immense amount of growth dried out in 2024-2025, leading to greater amounts of fuel for potential combustion. Aside from dry conditions, Los Angeles’s main issue was the strong Santa Ana winds that rapidly spread the wildfires. The winds occur during cooler months from September to May and can last from a couple of days up to a week. Santa Ana winds first flow clockwise around high-pressure areas and move southwest toward Southern California. This air is dry as it originates from the Great Basin’s desert climate north of California. As the air from the winds descend over the Sierra Mountains, it gets drier and accelerates in speed as it maneuvers through the local valleys and gorges. Consequently, the Santa Ana winds gain a speed of 60 to 100 miles per hour. In Los Angeles, there was a recorded wind gust speed of 97 miles per hour. Hence, both the dryness and speed of the Santa Ana winds amplified the severity of Los Angeles’s wildfires. 

At the time of writing, the fires in Palisades and Eaton are 75 percent and 95 percent contained, respectively. Fortunately, a rainstorm hit Southern California on Sunday, January 26 and lasted until Monday, January 28, leading to 99 percent of Los Angeles’s fires being contained. A major concern about the rainstorm was its potential to cause another disaster like mudslides due to the toxic debris aggregated from the fires. Such debris can contain lead, mercury, arsenic, and asbestos. Exposure to lead causes severe brain damage in developing youth and hypertension; exposure to mercury results in kidney and gastrointestinal damage; exposure to arsenic is associated with skin cancer and skin lesions; and exposure to asbestos results in scarred lung tissue and difficulty breathing. In light of these health risks, on Friday, January 24, workers secured nets over the debris of fallen buildings to reduce the flow of toxic debris during the weekend’s rainstorm. Additionally, California lawmakers passed legislation allocating $2.5 billion to help the local government remove hazardous debris and to rebuild neighborhoods. Volunteers from various humanitarian organizations like the American Red Cross are also providing evacuees with food and medical attention. 

However, the general prevention of wildfires also necessitates the effort of the public. When camping, don’t leave a campfire unattended. Upon leaving the campsite, completely douse the fire with water. If you smoke or live in a household with a smoker, make sure to dispose of all cigarette butts in closed containers or water. Cigarette butts being recklessly thrown out in households or natural environments pose a severe risk to accidental fires. In fact, in 2022, there was a national estimate of 8600 smoking fires in residential buildings, leading to 295 deaths, 700 injuries, and a $525,700 loss. Also, don’t park a hot vehicle or machine in dry grass since the heat and dryness are both conducive to ignition. On a larger scale, global warming due to increased greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane gas, chlorofluorocarbons, etc.) contributes to increased drought and longer fire seasons. To reduce the effects of global warming, we can reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas levels by taking public transportation more frequently, using less electricity at home (turning off unnecessary lighting), and planting more vegetation (especially in habitats destroyed by wildfires). All of these efforts will help prevent the ignition of wildfires. With the collective efforts of the government and the general public, Los Angeles can be restored from its wildfires and future wildfires can be reduced.