The massive wildfires that displaced thousands of civilians in Los Angeles have killed at least 11 people and turned thousands of building and residences of people into ashes and rubble.
The threat of more fires loomed over South California as it had already ripped across more than 35,000 acres of the Los Angeles area this week, and the evacuation orders came under mandatory for a part of the wealthy Brentwood area of Los Angeles.
The wildfire between Santa Monica and Malibu, known as the Palisades fire, reached 8% containment on Friday. Eastward, crews managed to contain 3% of the Eaton fire situated near Altadena and Pasadena. These two incidents have now been classified amongst California’s five most devastating fires in recorded history.
What caused California’s deadly wildfires?
In typical years, Southern California receives sufficient rainfall by this time, ensuring the vegetation remains damp and resistant to ignition. Research conducted previously indicated that moisture levels in autumn help reduce the likelihood of fires driven by Santa Ana winds.
However, this season Southern California faces exceptionally arid conditions, with minimal precipitation recorded over recent months. The combination of extreme winds and dry conditions creates particularly dangerous circumstances for severe fire outbreaks, Associated Press reported.
According to energy specialists, electrical infrastructure has frequently triggered large-scale fires during windy conditions in California and other regions. Furthermore, the current dry and windy weather patterns, which facilitate fire spread, are expected to continue.
Suppressing fires under such conditions proves exceptionally challenging. Fire service personnel acknowledge that during Santa Ana wind-driven fires, their primary focus shifts to evacuating residents ahead of advancing flames and managing the perimeter. Direct containment remains virtually impossible whilst strong winds persist.
Los Angeles fires most ‘devastating’ in California’s history: Biden
US President Joe Biden declared on Thursday that the Los Angeles wildfires were the most severe in California’s recorded history, whilst announcing additional federal assistance and resources for the state.
“This is the most widespread, devastating fire in California’s history,” Biden stated during a special gathering of senior administration officials at the White House.
He noted that Los Angeles residents were experiencing severe distress and commended the firefighters as “heroes” for their courageous efforts in confronting the flames.
The president cancelled his scheduled Rome visit on Thursday to remain in Washington and oversee the US government’s response to the fires, which have claimed at least five lives.
What is all about fish controversy?
US President-elect Donald Trump has attributed the wildfires to a diminutive aquatic species known as the Delta smelt.
Using his Truth Social platform, the Republican figurehead Trump criticised Governor Gavin Newsom and discussed the aforementioned fish, ABC 10 reported.
The Delta smelt, which Trump mentions, is a tiny fish native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In recent times, this species has virtually vanished from its natural habitat.
Since the 1980s, the species has experienced a significant decline, leading to its status change from threatened to endangered under the California Endangered Species Act. A wildlife assessment in 2018 failed to detect any Delta smelt in their natural environment.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s monitoring efforts in 2022 yielded no smelt sightings across 61 days of sampling. Additionally, approximately 13,000 smelt released near Rio Vista in November 2022 were not detected in subsequent monitoring efforts.
The ongoing water disputes in California, particularly centred around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, have contributed significantly to the species’ declining numbers.
What Trump and Musk said?
On the social media platform X, Elon Musk has endorsed and amplified numerous posts attributing the extensive devastation to diversity programmes. “DEI means people DIE,” wrote Elon Musk in a post, whilst sharing footage that questioned the fire department’s methodology.
Tesla chief additionally shared content from Libs of TikTok, a conservative account previously restricted on various social platforms. The account criticised LAFD regarding its “racial equity plan” aimed at addressing “systemic, institutional and structural racism”.
In response, Musk stated, “They prioritised DEI over saving lives and homes.”
“He (Newsom) wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” he wrote on his Truth Social handle.
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” Trump wrote in a separate post.
Limited hydrants hinder California firefighting efforts
The intense firefighting operations strained the local water infrastructure, resulting in dry hydrants at elevated locations. Officials confirmed at a Wednesday briefing that water consumption exceeded the replenishment rate of local storage tanks.
Water availability issues persisted in certain hydrants after sunrise whilst authorities worked on restoring supply levels. According to Mayor Karen Bass’s office, helicopter operations, which had been suspended overnight due to unfavourable conditions, resumed water drops on the fire.
On Wednesday morning at Sunset Boulevard’s peak, a resident, overwhelmed with concern, knelt before a firefighter who was tackling the blaze at a neighbouring property, pleading for assistance to protect his house from the approaching flames. A fellow firefighter cautioned, “We’re down to 25%. Hold off.”
The emergency responders connected their equipment to another hydrant, but found it empty. They rushed to locate an alternative source with sufficient water to combat the rapidly advancing fire.
Survivors recount scary incident
After Kyle Kucharski and Nicole Perri settled into their ideal residence in Los Angeles’s Pacific Palisades district, they purchased a wine crate to commemorate their achievement, setting it aside for a future celebration.
Following a devastating blaze that ravaged nearly all homes in their vicinity, their sole remaining possession is the vacant box bearing the label: Purgatory.
Los Angeles painter Alec Egan had spent two years preparing work for a solo exhibition that was scheduled to open in late January at Anat Ebgi gallery on Wilshire Boulevard. Now every one of those canvases is gone.
“It’s terror and despair,” said Egan in a telephone interview from the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he, his wife and two young children had evacuated — the only hotel he said was open.