Why is LA on Fire?
Environment Policy #178 | By: Arvind Salem | Submitted: January 13, 2025
Photo Credit: LAFD Photo | Cody Weireter
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Policy Summary
The latest round of fires, something that has been plaguing Los Angeles, is a scary combination of three smaller fires that together are ravaging Los Angeles: The Palisades Fire, The Eaton Fire, and The Hurst Fire. Beyond these three, there are additional smaller fires.
The exact cause of the fires is still unknown. Investigators and officials have been able to rule out certain common causes that often cause fires, including lightning, arson, and utility lines. While the cause of the initial fire is uncertain, California’s abundance of kindling wood helped the fire spread (California also had an abundance of rain followed by an exceptional dry spell in L.A., meaning that there is a lot of dry vegetation to feed a fire). Additionally, there were strong winds during this period that helped the fire spread. However, while these short-term causes garner attention, experts also point out that climate change is a key factor that has created extreme wet and dry spells, which allow fires to spread. In Southern California, fires are largely expected from May to October, but climate change is extending that window throughout the year.
In terms of damages, the fires have burned nearly 40,000 acres of land so far, with the bulk of the damage coming from the Palisades fire burning 23,713.4 acres. Even worse, that fire is only 14 percent contained, meaning that it will likely continue to rage on and damage more land. Over 150,000 people are under evacuation notices, and that number has stretched to nearly 200,000 during intense periods of the fire. Sadly, there have already been 24 victims of this series of fires. The fires have ravished high-end, densely populated areas in LA, burning over 12,000 structures. A preliminary AccuWeather estimate of the likely damages was between $250 to $275 billion, with this number likely to grow as the fires still rage on. The exact breakdown of the methodology and estimates is proprietary, but AccuWeather included variables that are not immediately obvious (such as long-term health effects and the effect of fires on company valuations in the LA area).
For comparison, the final AccuWeather damage estimate for Hurricane Helene was $225 to $250 billion. The fact that the LA fires exceed the damages of a Hurricane that ravaged multiple states, while being confined to “only” a single city demonstrates its debilitating economic impact on the LA area. With such damages, this will likely be the costliest wildfire in modern California, and U.S., history.
Policy Analysis:
The governor asked the legislature to provide $2.5 billion, with $1 billion for immediate responses and $1.5 billion for greater wildfire preparedness in the future. This comes amid renewed criticism for the governor famously spending money on the homeless population, while wildfire prevention received less money. Newsom also waived certain environmental regulations to help speed up the fire recovery and rebuilding process.
In regards to the long-term future, this is once again a reminder that climate change can lead to more extreme natural disasters. With Hurricane Helene and now these wildfires, the United States is experiencing some of the consequences of climate change, which will likely get more extreme as time goes on. While California cannot change this as just a state, investing in wildfire prevention and firefighters can help create an infrastructure to mitigate the worst damages of future fires. Just as COVID-19 sparked a seminal re-evaluation and renewal of the nation’s public health apparatus, these wildfires need to encourage the same in California.
While the LA wildfires have certainly damaged many expensive properties and high-end areas, they have also had a deep negative impact on minority and low-income areas as well. The poster child for this tragic effect is Altadena, a majority-minority neighborhood that includes houses that minorities have owned for generations, which has been burned to the ground. Even worse, California already has a well-documented problem dealing with homelessness and high housing prices (especially in the L.A. area). These fires raise home insurance rates, pricing the most vulnerable out of the market and leaving them unable to buy a new house after their old house burns down.
In this crisis, the Fire Department has of course been a key factor in the emergency response. As the Department’s response has been closely watched, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has come under scrutiny for decreasing the budget of the department by $17.6 million ( 2%) from the 2024-2025 year compared to the 2023-2024 fiscal year. LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley wrote a memo outlining how this cut affected parts of their operations, including their capacity to respond to emergencies and brush clearance inspections. California Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, whose district includes the Palisades, dismissed the cuts as a cause for the issue, noting that the cuts were meant for training in 2025 and did not impact readiness. This is not the only criticism of Mayor Bass, as she’s drawing heavy scrutiny for her travels to Ghana during the fires, especially after promising to not travel internationally (after that was a large part of her life when she was in Congress). This series of either bad optics or gross mismanagement has led to serious discontent, exemplified by an online petition with over 100,000 signatures, demanding Bass’s immediate resignation.
Engagement Resources
The following three sites are relief organizations for the wildfires. We encourage readers to help however they are able and share this link with those in their circle that may be in a position to help:
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