Los Angeles, also known as the City of Angels, is known for its entertainment industry, million-dollar houses belonging to A-list celebrities, and the infamous Hollywood sign overlooking the city. But today, Hollywood is overshadowed by a different light—the one caused by the blazing wildfires within the county. These fires have displaced more than 380,000 people and turned upwards of 10,000 infrastructures to ashes.
The fires began on January 7th and are separated into 5 main ones. These include the Lidia Fire, the Hurst Fire, the Kenneth Fire, the Eaton Fire, and the Palisades Fire. These fires range from 348 acres (1.4 km2) to 19,978 acres (80.8 km2). Due to restrictive weather conditions and a lack of resources, their containment has been challenging, even with the intense efforts of thousands of firefighters and special airplanes. The most prominent resource, water, is beginning to give out due to the intense demand at once, with pressures slowing down and fire hydrants drying out. Although proactive actions were taken to supply water, especially in the largest fire zone, the Palisades; the vast demand has made the supply insufficient.
Recent meteorological conditions in Los Angeles are said to be the primary cause of the beginning and spreading of the fires. Facing its driest season, the area has had little rainfall since October 2024, and together with strong winds referred to as the Santa Ana winds, an ideal atmosphere for wildfires has been created. The Santa Ana winds originate from the Great Basin (a high-pressure environment) and go over Southern California at a fast pace of 112.6 km/h. In addition to having other characteristics such as extreme heat and dryness, these winds create a large threat. These winds are also one of the primary reasons why the containment rates of these fires are so low (as low as 0-6%) since their fast pace makes the direction of the fires unpredictable and too strong for firefighters to combat effectively.
The fires are said to be a direct consequence of a rise in global warming. NASA administrator, Bill Nelson confirmed that “2024 was the hottest year since record-keeping began in 1880,” and that “it has never been more important to understand our changing planet.” The EU climate monitoring system also shows that last year’s temperature (2024) was 1.6C higher than pre-industrial levels, surpassing the 1.5C cap set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The 2015 Paris Agreement is an international treaty aimed at collaboratively preventing the rise of climate change. Rising temperatures have intensified droughts and winds, causing large-scale problems like the one at hand in LA and creating worry about what will happen in the future if the issue continues. Unfortunately, the LA area is projected to not have any rainfall in the upcoming days, hence the weather is still suitable for the fires to continue, displacing more individuals and damaging even more property. Air quality also remains low, threatening the well-being of firefighters, residents, and volunteers.
These climate-driven wildfires have an impact that goes well beyond the environment; they have also displaced people, destroyed vital infrastructure, and claimed lives.
At the moment, over 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes for their safety, and more than 200,000 people have been given warnings about the possible threat to their houses. Among those who had to evacuate their houses were well-known celebrities such as Heidi Montag, Leighton Meester, Adam Brody, Bebe Rexha, and more. These fires have also claimed the lives of at least 10 people, hence for the protection of residents and to avert looting, curfews have been imposed in evacuation regions near fire zones like the Eaton and Palisades fires. The curfew is set to be from 6 p.m. on Friday to 6 a.m. on Saturday. Other restrictions have also been made, such as the prohibition of flying drones in areas that restrict specialized airplanes from delivering ocean water to put out fires.
In addition to the emotional losses of displaced individuals, houses and infrastructure have also been destroyed in these wildfires. Over 10,000 buildings ranging from religious buildings to schools, recreational centers to homes have been destroyed, with 57,830 structures labelled as being at risk of damage. Entire neighborhoods, which once were filled with luxurious houses and enthusiastic individuals have turned to rubble and ash, with eerie silence from the lack of activity. Necessities such as power lines have also been shut down, cutting the power supplies of around 100,000 individuals. According to Accuweather, the economic damages from the buildings are approximately between a staggering $135 billion to $150 billion. Long-term economic threats are at hand for Los Angeles, one of the most prominent economic zones across the globe.
Amidst all the ongoing events occurring in Los Angeles, resilience and collaboration are pathing positive paths to recovery. Many people have taken this large-scale issue to social media, urging others to donate clothing, money, and other necessities to those in need. Volunteers are aiding people in donation centers and shelters to help recover individuals from the traumatic losses they have endured. Although damage has been done to communities and Los Angeles, collective efforts by its residents and people worldwide are attempting to create a beam of light.
Edited by: Derya Yener