Strong Santa Ana winds, a dry winter, and low humidity have fueled wildfires in the Los Angeles area over the past week, destroying dozens of structures and causing mass evacuations. 11 people died.
Firefighters in the area have made progress and have contained some of the larger fires. Four fires are currently raging through the area. According to To Cal Fire. The Palisades Fire is the largest of these, burning more than 22,000 acres and is 11 percent contained. The second largest fire, the Eaton Fire, has burned more than 14,000 acres and is 15 percent contained.
Officials said the cause of the largest fire was under investigation. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Jim McDonnell said at a press conference Saturday that a multi-agency task force will investigate the cause of the wildfire. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will take the lead.
Earlier this week, the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles said Widespread “harmful” winds and “low” humidity “are likely to result in rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior.”
“High pressure over the Great Basin and storms in northwestern Mexico are combining to create strong wind conditions for Southern California starting Tuesday,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Gwen Feeweger. said.
Some experts say climate change is a contributing factor, with higher temperatures seen in drier, vegetation-rich terrain potentially accelerating the spread of wildfires.
“Climate change will cause landscapes to dry out faster, maintain an environment more prone to ignition and start fires, and reduce their resistance to fire spread,” University of California Merced Professor John Abatzoglou told The Hill. .
Abatzoglou added that “spreading out” not only helps large fires burning within an area, but also “gets over some of the barriers and penetrates communities.”
Jatan Buch, a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University who studies wildfires, told The Hill that dry land is a contributing factor to devastating fires, but fires require ignition.
“One is the availability of fuel. Second, the fuel has to be dry enough. And third, these driving factors like wind (in this case the Santa Ana winds) have to make sure that the fires don't start. Make it even more destructive.”
These dry conditions are partly due to low humidity and lack of rain.
Almost 84 percent of Los Angeles County was in “severe drought.” According to to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
