The Wildfires in Los Angeles erupted seemingly out of nowhere on Tuesday, January 14. According to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as of January 23, over 50, 000 acres have been burned, 16,000 structures destroyed, and 28 confirmed deaths. Firefighters are working as hard as they can to contain the fires, and the current significant incidents include the Eaton fire, at 95% containment, the Hughes fire, at 14% containment, and the Palisades fire, at 72% containment. It is important to note that these data points are constantly changing, and as of today, there are 3 additional, but much smaller, fires. You can view the updated information at https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents.
Most people who are interested in this catastrophic event in the United States are wondering why this is happening; and one of the reasons why these fires are so large and deadly has to do with California’s dramatic switch from wet weather to immensely dry weather. Research has shown that these stark meteorological changes are becoming more common due to human activity and climate change. This can contribute to wildfires given that during rainy periods, vegetation growth, like shrubs, grasses, and other plants, becomes exponential. After the environment dries out, the vegetation serves as highly-flammable fuel for the wildfires, allowing them to spread quickly. There were also extremely hot, dry Santa Ana winds, which blew from inland deserts toward the coast, right when the fires first broke out. These winds threw embers miles ahead of the fires, in addition to grounding the use of aircrafts to drop water from above, therefore making them more dependent on hydrants in neighborhoods.
Relatedly, while the firefighters have been trying as best they can to contain the fires, they have been repeatedly stopped by low water pressure and fire hydrants that have run out of water, specifically in the Palisades area. This has ultimately exposed water systems that are not equipped to deal with enormous wildfires.
The city’s hydrants rely on 3 water tanks that hold around 1 million gallons each. At lower elevations, the hydrants function normally, but at higher up areas like the Palisades Highlands, the tanks hold water that only flows at the mercy of gravity to the communities below – and these quickly run dry. The DWP (The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) and city leaders have faced criticism from residents about the old infrastructure that led to the lack of access to water. However, water researches have stated that infrastructure limitations are more common than one might think, as local water systems are usually designed to fight small-scale local fires, not large wildfires (James, Hamilton, Vives). But these limitations have raised questions about whether or not local water systems should be expanded to the point where they are able to supply enough water for the firefighters, especially considering the fact that California wildfires are becoming increasingly unpredictable.
Nonetheless, infrastructure investments are typically driven by population. In the hills of California, the houses lie on prime, expensive real estate, thus lowering the amount of people living there. In LA especially, it would be very expensive to develop and expand water-storing systems for an area that is not densely populated; but one could say that the cost for better infrastructure cannot be compared to the amount of money needed to start rebuilding what was destroyed because of the wildfire (James, Hamilton, Vives).
The Kinneloa Irrigation District’s general manager, Tom Majich, stated that “To fight a wildfire, you have to have Lake Havasu behind you. You could fill a Rose Bowl with water and it wouldn’t be enough water.” This ultimately suggests that no amount of water would have been able to stop this disaster in Los Angeles, but that in the future a decision needs to be made about whether or not the water storing systems in the city should be developed so that firefighters have the adequate resources they need to fight the wildfires.
Another factor in play has to do with the fact that throughout that past week,
scrutiny had been drawn on account of how the Los Angeles Fire Department received a budget cut of 17.6 million dollars for the 2024-2025 year, which was roughly 2% of their allotted money. On the other hand, in November of 2024, the city council approved a 76 million dollar contract for the 2024-25 fiscal year for the firefighter’s union to help increase payment and update health resources. In other words, the department received money to help with the wellbeing of firefighters, but had their general budget for typical operations reduced. There have been clashing opinions from the mayor of the city and the fire chief at the LAFD about the true consequences of these cuts.The chief, Kirstin Crowley, believes that the budget cuts hindered her department’s ability to perform core duties and operations, while the mayor stated that the cut did not affect the department’s ability to fight the wildfires. When looking at the big picture, a 2% budget cut might not seem like a lot; but when neighborhoods are burning to the ground, and firefighters need all the money and resources they can get to put out the fires efficiently, 17.6 million dollars can go a long way (Ingram).
The wildfires have also revealed a dire insurance crisis in the Golden State. According to new data from the California Department of Insurance, between 2020 and 2022 insurance companies declined to review 2.8 million homeowner policies in California (Bailey). That includes 531,000 policies in LA county. The companies have also not written new policies in the areas that are considered to be at risk for wildfires. For example, in the Pacific Palisades, which is the area hit hardest by the fire, State Farm canceled 69% of its policies last year. To try and solve this problem, California set up what’s called the FAIR plan as a last resort. But the demand for the FAIR plan has skyrocketed because of the lack of coverage from private insurers, and the issue with it is that they have higher rates than traditional private insurance and less coverage. This means that California homeowners are often either going without fire insurance, by choice, or because they were dropped by their insurer. The only other option is to buy into the FAIR plan, meaning they would have to buy additional, quite costly, coverage. Additionally, even if one has homeowners insurance and has lost their home, insurance does not replace their house and belongings by the next week. Victims have to file a homeowners claim with their insurance, and the companies do not make the process easy. Considering that entire neighborhoods were burnt to the ground, insurance companies will likely try to be excessively strict with the money they give out to the thousands who lost their homes.
As if it couldn’t get any worse, instead of their homes burning, citizens of Los Angeles have been losing their belongings in other ways. As many have been forced to evacuate, thieves have taken advantage of the empty houses, robbing them without the fear of being caught by the authorities. There have been more than 20 arrests made, the charges ranging from starting new fires, violating the curfew set by the LAPD, and burglarizing homes (Ardrey).
If you would like to support the city in this difficult time, you can help out by donating money, food, clothes, and other basic necessities to the many charities that have stepped in to provide support. Examples include Americares, Direct Relief, Pasadena Humane, Convoy of Hope, and Global Empowerment Mission Inc. You can also spread awareness on social media, in addition to keeping the victims of the fires in your thoughts and prayers.
To conclude, the wildfires in Los Angeles seem to have been caused by a number of things. From weather changes and a budget cut to a lack of access to water for firefighters, was this natural disaster truly natural? Could it have been prevented by better planning? Or is it nature’s way of telling us that it cannot be contained if we don’t start taking better care of the earth? All in all, America’s beloved Hollywood is burning, and it has sent shockwaves across the country. But it would be approaching a kind of ignorance if we did not acknowledge the fact that this is not the only horrible event occuring in the world. There is war and suffering in many countries and cities, but they receive half the attention when compared to the sympathy flowing in for SoCal while it is horrifically reduced to ashes and smoke. So while we pray for the victims of the wildfires, and hope that this will never happen again, we should also reflect on how some turn a blind eye to what’s happening on the other side of the world. Every person who is in an emergency situation deserves the same amount of support and aid, and it’s about time we realize it.
Bibliography:
(MLA citations)
“California Fires Exacerbate Water Supply Problems.” Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025, https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-01-09/california-fires-water-supply-problems.
Ingram, Julia. “A Month Before Fires, L.A. Fire Chief Warned Budget Cuts Were Hampering Emergency Response.” CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-wildfires-los-angeles-fire-chief-budget-cuts/.
“California Fires Lead to Arrests for Looting; Curfews Imposed to Deter Crimes.” USA Today, 13 Jan. 2025, https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/13/california-eaton-palisades-fires-arrests-looting-curfew-crimes/77665638007/.
McCormack, Caitlin. “Los Angeles Police Arrest 4 People for Allegedly Trying to Start New Blazes as Wildfire Death Toll Rises to 25.” New York Post, 14 Jan. 2025, https://nypost.com/2025/01/14/us-news/los-angeles-police-arrest-4-people-for-allegedly-trying-to-start-new-blazes-as-wildfire-death-toll-rises-to-25/.