As you read this article, a devastating wildfire continues to rage in Northwest Los Angeles. The fire began on Tuesday, January 7, in the oceanside Pacific Palisades, the area for which it is named. The fire extended across Santa Monica and Malibu, which have some of the most expensive real estate in the United States. Alongside the Palisades Fire, California fire officials reported four more fires: Eaton fire, Sunset fire, Lidia fire, and Hurst fire. The ultimate cause of the fires remains under investigation.
Chris Cuomo, who has covered wildfires for decades for NewsNation, believes we are “nowhere near the end of it.”
However, he attributes the fast-spreading nature of the fires to rapid winds.
“The reason the fires are growing in a way that we have rarely seen is that they are each and all being turbocharged by winds that are too much for everything and everyone,” Cuomo said in NewsNation. “Nothing fuels fire like air. … And the air is doing the most damage. The winds caused everything that we’re seeing right now.”
Every year, between fall and spring, California experiences extreme dry winds, known as the Santa Ana winds. When combined with other extreme conditions, such as drought, the Santa Ana winds increase the risk of wildfire–which is what we’re seeing happening in California currently. According to the National Weather Service, as of Thursday, January 9, the Santa Ana winds were reaching up to 100 mph.
According to the Los Angeles Times, as of January 9, more than 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders, five people have died (although the death toll is likely higher), and more than 2,000 structures have been burned.
