A fierce wildfire erupted in the affluent western Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, 7 January, and quickly expanded as a major windstorm whipped up flames.
In the next two days, several other blazes ignited until five large fires were alight around the wider Los Angeles county, which is home to 9.6 million people. Fires were still burning fiercely on Thursday and a terrified region was braced for more danger and destruction.
Scale of the catastrophe
The five blazes are considered one of the worst wildfire events ever witnessed in southern California, the California department of forestry and fire protection (Cal Fire) said, and the Palisades fire itself is the most destructive in Los Angeles city history, according to the Associated Press.
Several people have been confirmed killed. The death toll is expected to rise as responders comb through scarred areas. The fires have forced at least 180,000 people under evacuation orders, while burning down at least 2,000 homes and buildings across 45 square miles of land, not far off the size of San Francisco or Boston.
Preliminary damage and economic loss has been estimated at above $50bn, but the fires are still raging and more could erupt any time.
The fires
The Palisades, the first and so far largest, fire is raging in the west of LA, in the prosperous and picturesque neighborhood nestled between the Santa Monica mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The fires are depicted on a map in this piece.
The Eaton fire, where five deaths have occurred, is burning in the Pasadena and Altadena areas, to the north-east of LA.
The Lidia fire is further north near the small residential community of Acton, in the beautiful Antelope Valley close to two mountain ranges.
The Hurst fire is burning in the northern-most suburb of the city of LA, Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley, in a historic area known for its olive groves.
The Sunset fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills late on Wednesday, the closest to central Los Angeles, but firefighters have had more success there and have kept it under 1 square mile. The evacuation area was bordered by famous place names such as Hollywood Boulevard and Mulholland Drive.
A sixth fire, the Woodley fire, started in the Van Nuys neighborhood in LA on Wednesday, located between the Sunset fire and the Hurst fire. It was small and quickly contained.
Winds and climate change
The fires are extraordinarily fierce and fast, fanned by a windstorm that brought offshore winds gusting up to 100mph (161 km/h). Meanwhile, southern California hasn’t seen rain in months, leaving a landscape primed to burn. Karen Bass, the Los Angeles mayor, said: “Hurricane-force winds are normally accompanied by rain but these are hurricane-force winds combined with extremely dry drought conditions.”
California’s cooler months often bring the strong Santa Ana winds blowing in from the western desert interior. The fierce winds not only whip flames but dry out the landscape, creating quintessential seasonal fire weather. The climate crisis is intensifying these wind events.
In general, the climate crisis is making major wildfires more common and more devastating. Scientists estimate that the climate emergency, especially record drought and rising temperatures, raises the risk of fast-moving fires by around 25% in California.
Water and human resources
As firefighters battled the flames early Wednesday morning, the water tanks supplying the Pacific Palisades neighborhood ran dry. The authorities said they pushed the water supply “to the extreme … four times the normal demand was seen for 15 hours straight”. All 114 water tanks serving the city of Los Angeles were full before the Palisades fire erupted but ran out faster than they could be refilled. Winds were too high to send up aircraft to douse blazes for the first 24 hours. Meanwhile, local fire crews were running out of personnel and there were pleas for reinforcements. Among those deployed are almost 400 incarcerated people trained to join crews on the frontlines during disasters. Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington state are sending teams to help.
Does the show go on?
Many tens of thousands of ordinary people from all walks of life have had to flee their homes this week. Many have lost everything and some have lost loved ones, while the toll on pets and wild animals is far from being calculated.
Hollywood – the industry, not just the famous LA neighborhood – is reeling. Thousands of workers are waiting to see how the disaster will affect production. Filming, premieres and awards ceremonies are on hold. Household names such as Billy Crystal, Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Jeff Bridges, Adrien Brody and others have had homes burn down.