Currently, social media has been flooded with the news that Los Angeles (LA) is burning. The trend of California wildfire spread across the social media platforms and it became a global topic of discussion. You might have already seen those photos and videos going viral showcasing the skies filled with smoke, red flames, orange horizons and so on and create a question how did this happen and why is it spreading that fast? What the government is doing to save lives?
The Growing threat of California wildfire
Ed Nordskog, a retired detective from the Department of Los Angeles County Sheriff, explained, “If the ground is really dry and the wind is blowing and poof — you have a fire.” So, is it the only reason behind the apocalyptic view of the California wildfire or are we missing something? Let’s explore.
Well, reports said that Los Angeles, since May 5, 2024, has not recorded rainfall over 0.1 inches. The signs of the draught have also been recorded in Southern California.
The homes of Hollywood elites are once again in jeopardy as a wildfire in Pacific Palisades, California, has prompted an evacuation order.
The wildfire is rapidly spreading.#PalisadesFire #Palisades pic.twitter.com/iXJfUuuu5S
— Kash Pramod Patel FBI Director ( Parody ) 🇺🇲 (@KashpatelCIA) January 8, 2025As per the reports of the US Drought Monitor, several regions of California, including Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, have already been reported to have a sign of drought. Even these areas have been categorized as “abnormally dry”. So, it might be a normal factor, that the California wildfire occurs due to the persistent dry conditions and the dehydrated vegetation turns into highly flammable fuel creating an apocalyptic condition.
Well, the geographical location can also be called one of the contributors to the California wildfire. Located on the west coast of the US, California is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the west, Oregon in the north and Nevada and Arizona in the east. Henceforth, the Santa Ana wind gets a chance to blow from inland deserts towards the coastal area with a speed of around 40 to 60 mph.
So, the persistent dry weather caused the fire in California and the Santa Ana wind spread the wind and the hilly and mountainous terrains in the east helped to rapidly expand the fire across thousands of acres.
So is that only the reason behind this apocalyptic condition of California? You might heard of the news that this California wildfire was predicted a few months ago, in July 2024, through a podcast. Joe Rogan, an American podcaster, has shared his conversation with a firefighter in his podcast episode with comedian Sam Morrill.
Rogan said that he was in a conversation with a firefighter once when he warned about a blaze in LA, that could uncontrollably spread through Los Angeles to the ocean. He said, “One day, it’s gonna be the right wind and the fire’s gonna start in the right place and it’s gonna burn through LA all the way to the ocean and there’s not a f***ing thing we can do about it.”
the California fires were perfectly predicted with insane accuracy by a firefighter that spoke to Joe Rogan pic.twitter.com/zuM8gmvJRX
— ryan 🤿 (@scubaryan_) January 9, 2025Well, the fire is already burning California and the fire department is not able to control the fire, so there is something hidden behind it? Some theorists have explained that besides the climate change issue and dryness of the country, poor land management and human negligence are also contributors to the California wildfire.
The fire department is failing in handling the situation because of lacking of staff and resources. This happened because of the recent budget cuts by the government. Henceforth, besides the topography, dry conditions and Santa Ana wind, the critical vulnerabilities in the fire department create an apocalyptic condition.
Current Situation
The California wildfire has spread across 40,000 acres and around 24 people lost their lives and around 180,000 people evacuated as the blaze has been spreading in Los Angeles. Around 87,000 people have been found in the evacuation warning zones. The Santa Ana wind is also expected to continuously impact the parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
This blaze destroyed entire communities in Los Angeles areas and over 12,300 structures have already been destroyed. More than 90,000 homes and businesses in the areas of Los Angeles are still facing the problem of power cuts. 200,000 locations do not have electricity causing a drastic situation for the locals. However, The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and SoCal Edison are working to fix the issue.
🇺🇸ARE YOU KIDDING ME? SCIENTISTS SAY CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES COULD TRIGGER ‘THE LAST OF US’ IRL
Turns out, wildfire smoke isn’t just choking us out—it could be spreading deadly fungal spores that infect humans.
Apparently, Fungi are evolving to survive inside our bodies…
One… pic.twitter.com/Sq1taf6FEQ
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 11, 2025The National Weather Service has given a red alert for the public health emergency. They have mentioned that the smoke and other particulate matter of the Palisades fire can cause serious health concerns and long-term threats to the community. The high winds, warm temperature low humidity and a potential chance of reaching winds up to 60 mph can cause critical health issues like asthma, heart disease and so on.
Efforts to combat wildfires
Despite of lack of staff in the fire department of the county, the local, federal and state agencies have been trying to handle the situation. Over 10,000 personnel are deployed across the county. By using helicopters, fire trucks and other specialized equipment, the firefighters are trying to reduce the expansion of the fire.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency highlighted the critical condition of Los Angeles and rated it as “the most susceptible county in the United States to natural disasters.” However, California made a partnership with the US Department of Defence. This partnership has helped them to utilize satellites to detect wildfires through LiDAR technology so that they can detect the critical conditions through a 3D map and address the red alert areas first.
Message for us
However, the case of the California wildfire has highlighted the importance of resources and an appropriate budget for national development to handle different crises. Every nation should have to make adequate investments in their infrastructure building, proactive environmental management and emergency services to respond to such circumstances quickly and smoothly.
Besides that, we as a human, need to take climate change as a serious issue. The ongoing threats like the California wildfire might be a message for us from nature about what kind of consequences might appear in future from our negligence toward climate change. In US history, the California wildfire has been recorded as the costliest wildfire, and this can only be addressed in future through unified action supported by innovation and science.
FAQ
What are the primary reasons behind the California wildfire?
Persistent dry weather caused the fire in California and the Santa Ana wind spread the wind and the hilly and mountainous terrains in the east helped to rapidly expand the fire across thousands of acres.
How does the Santa Ana wind affect the spread of wildfires?
The Santa Ana wind gets a chance to blow from inland deserts towards the coastal area with a speed of around 40 to 60 mph affecting the spread of wildfires.
What drought conditions have been reported in California?
Los Angeles, since May 5, 2024, has not recorded rainfall over 0.1 inches. The signs of the drought have also been recorded in Southern California.
What did Joe Rogan mention about California wildfire predictions in his podcast?
Joe Rogan said, ‘One day, it’s gonna be the right wind and the fire’s gonna start in the right place and it’s gonna burn through LA all the way to the ocean and there’s not a f***ing thing we can do about it.
Why is the fire department struggling to handle the situation?
The fire department is failing in handling the situation because of lacking of staff and resources. This happened because of the recent budget cuts by the government.
What is the current extent of damage caused by the wildfire?
The California wildfire has spread across 40,000 acres and around 24 people lost their lives and around 180,000 people evacuated as the blaze has been spreading in Los Angeles. Around 87,000 people have been found in the evacuation warning zones.
What health warnings have been issued by the National Weather Service?
The National Weather Service has given a red alert for the public health emergency. They have mentioned that the smoke and other particulate matter of the Palisades fire can cause serious health concerns and long-term threats to the community.
What actions have been taken to combat the wildfires?
Over 10,000 personnel are deployed across the county. By using helicopters, fire trucks and other specialized equipment, the firefighters are trying to reduce the expansion of the fire.
What technology is being used to detect wildfires?
Through LiDAR technology the wildfire has been detected to find critical conditions through a 3D map and address the red alert areas first.
What message does the wildfire convey about climate change and resource management?
The ongoing threats like the wildfire in California might be a message for us from nature about what kind of consequences might appear in future from our negligence toward climate change.
