How big were the California wildfires, and why did they spread so quickly? | Climate news

At least five people were killed and wildfires destroyed thousands of homes in multiple parts of Los Angeles, California – the most populous state in the United States.

More than 130,000 residents in various neighborhoods in Los Angeles were ordered to evacuate as the fires, which broke out on Tuesday, continued to spread rapidly, fueled by strong winds.

How big are the fires at the present time, and how did they start?

What started the California wildfires?

The first fire started in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles at 10:30 a.m. (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Investigators are still trying to figure out the exact cause of the worst firestorm in recent memory, but a combination of factors may have created the perfect conditions for a fire.

California generally experiences wildfires during June and July, and they can last until October, but the fire defied the calendar this year, as it broke out in January, the coldest month of the winter.

Southern California, the site of the fires, is experiencing drought conditions and has not seen significant rain in months. Last year, less than four percent of California was affected by drought, compared to about 60 percent this year. According to the US Drought Monitor.

Climate change has contributed to increased wildfire frequency, season length, and area burned, according to a report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Therefore, it was the dry conditions supported by the Santa Ana winds — the dry, hot winds common in the region — that most likely caused the wildfires.

Dry desert air moves from within the region towards the coast and into the sea. It contributes to forest fires because it significantly reduces the humidity in the environment due to its dry nature. This causes the plants to become severely dehydrated and susceptible to fires. Under these conditions, any spark can start a fire, whether it’s from a cigarette butt, a vehicle, or a power line.

Wind gusts of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) were recorded at higher elevations Tuesday night, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Daniel Ehresmann.

In addition to dry plants, Los Angeles has other flammable materials such as low-lying power cables and wooden telephone boxes.

Santa Ana winds have been linked to severe wildfires in California in the past, including the Woolsey Fire in November 2018, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 structures.

But experts warn against this Weather conditions are harsh this year.

“We’ve never really had a dry season like this one, after a wet season like the previous one — all this abundant growth of grass and plants immediately followed by a wind event of this magnitude while still being incredibly dry,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Live broadcast on Monday.

How big are the wildfires in California?

Rapid spread

The fire broke out in the Pacific Palisades community, and from there the fire quickly spread to other neighborhoods. The second fire broke out in Eaton at around 6pm (02:00 GMT) on Tuesday. A third fire also broke out on the same day in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles, which was called the Hearst Fire.

Five more fires broke out in California on Wednesday: the Lidia, Sunset and Woodley fires in Los Angeles; The Olivas Fire in Ventura and the Tyler Fire in Riverside.

An area of ​​scorched earth

According to Cal Fire, here is the current status of major fires as of Wednesday night:

• Barriers: at least 6,970 hectares (17,234 acres)
• Eaton: at least 4,290 hectares (10,600 acres)
• Hirst: at least 346 hectares (855 acres)
• Lydia: at least 140 hectares (348 acres)
• Sunset: at least 17 hectares (43 acres)

The Woodley Fire burned 30 acres (12 ha) of land while the Olivas and Tyler Fires burned 11 acres (4.5 ha) each.

Below is a comparison of aerial photos of the Pacific Coast Highway before and after the Palisades Fire.

Here is Altadena before and after the Eaton Fire.

Containment

Fire containment refers to the perimeter or containment line that firefighters have created around a fire to prevent it from spreading further. A containment line can be any physical barrier around a fire, such as a shallow trench dug in the dirt.

The fires in California have barely been contained, meaning there is no stopping them from spreading further. The Palisades, Eaton and Sunset fires are zero percent contained, while the Hearst Fire is 10 percent contained and the Lydia Fire is 40 percent contained.

The Woodley, Olivas and Tyler fires are 100 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.

What was the government’s response?

The local fire department said the size of the fires had gotten out of control.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said in an X post on Wednesday evening that 7,500 fire personnel are currently on the ground.

The White House said that US President Joe Biden canceled an upcoming trip to Italy to focus on the federal response to the fire.

Biden posted on his account on the X website that his team provided 5 air tankers and 10 helicopters to fight the fires. But strong winds hampered air rescue efforts.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said in a press conference that firefighters from six other states, including Nevada, had been transferred to California. In addition, 250 engine companies with 1,000 employees relocated from Northern California to Southern California.

But resources are dwindling.

Water shortages in the Palisades area have led to some fire hydrants drying up.

Pacific Palisades relies on three tanks, each containing about 1 million gallons (3.78 million liters), Janice Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said at a news conference. Quiñones added that the demand for water to fight fires at lower elevations creates difficulty in refilling water tanks at higher elevations.

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) issued evacuation orders for Hollywood, Hearst and the Palisades. Click here To view LAFD’s interactive evacuation map.

What’s next?

Wind speeds have weakened to about 30-50 mph (50-80 km/h), but fires remain active.

Unfortunately, wind speeds are expected to increase Thursday night and Friday morning. But these winds will not be as strong as the winds that intensified the fires on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The winds are expected to subside by Friday, and the red flag fire warnings will be removed later that evening.