Why It's Too Difficult To Tame 'Apocalyptic' Los Angeles Wildfire

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Powerful winds are literally fanning the wildfires that rampaged across parts of California. The raging flames have killed five, engulfed hundreds of houses, forced over 1,00,000 to flee their homes and put 1,30,000 people under evacuation orders. The fires have burned thousands of acres (hectares) since they began on Tuesday.

How did the LA fire start? The rapidly evolving wildfires in Southern California were caused by dangerous winds and dry condition. The climate crisis is also influencing fire conditions. The rise in global temperatures have brought about more fire weather, even during the cold months.

“During the recent 'hotter' drought, unusually warm temperatures intensified the effects of very low precipitation and snowpack, creating conditions for extreme, high severity wildfires that spread rapidly,” a government website informed.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that more than 7,500 firefighting and emergency personnel were deployed to protect California communities. He said the US state mobilized an "unprecedented number of local and state resources to fight the fires in Los Angeles."

Thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate blazes on Wednesday - from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena.

However, a new blaze erupted in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday evening - forcing more evacuations and raising the number of wildfires burning in Los Angeles County to at least six, said Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.

Four of them were 0% contained according to state officials, including a pair of major conflagrations on the eastern and western flanks of the city that continued to grow as night fell on Wednesday. These fast-moving fires burning out of control showed the danger is far from over.

Powerful Santa Ana winds reportedly fueled fierce wildfires in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday. The Santa Ana winds, also called Devil winds, are strong and most common during the cooler months from September through May. These winds bringing dry desert air from the east toward the coastal mountains, fanning wildfires while blowing over the hilltops and down through the canyons.

Experts told NPR news that although the Santa Anas are a routine part of life for people living in southern California , the winds are particularly violent and destructive this time around.

The reported that "ferocious winds" are likely to make it difficult or impossible for firefighters to contain the blazes until conditions improve.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned on Thursday authorities still faced“erratic winds,” though not like Tuesday evening, when aircraft had to be grounded and much of the destruction occurred.

An official of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) said South California is experiencing a "unique amount of strong winds" this week. He said it's important to be prepared for powerful winds.

Dr Ariel Cohen with the national Weather Service, Los Angeles, Oxnard, share more information about the current situation in South California. He said, "We are seeing a very rate and anomalous deep low pressure system taking shape over northwest Mexico ."

"It's very rare to have a system like this take shape so far south. And when that happens, we've seen it happen before. Late November and early December of 2011...we got very destructive outcomes," Dr Ariel Cohen said.

In the Pasadena city of California, Fire Chief Chad Augustin said the city's water system was stretched and was further hampered by power outages. But even without those issues, firefighters would not have been able to stop the fire due to the intense winds fanning the flames, he said.

“Those erratic wind gusts were throwing embers for multiple miles ahead of the fire,” he was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Data cited by the Associated Press revealed that California's wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall due to climate change.

Rains that usually end fire season are often delayed, meaning fires can burn through the winter months, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.

The report added that dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 0.1 inches (2.5 millimeters) of rain since early May.

The Palisades fire was the most destructive in Los Angeles history, with at least 1,000 structures burned. Several Hollywood A-listers lost their million-dollar homes to the "largest" blaze, and the apocalyptic scenes spread for miles.

The wildfires consumed nearly 12,000 acres (4,856 hectares) in Pacific Palisades, a picturesque neighborhood between the beach towns of Santa Monica and Malibu that is home to many film, television and music stars.

Meanwhile, nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires, and the number is expected to increase.

Advisories were issued to urge people to protect themselves and their loved ones from wildfire smoke and ash. US President Joe Biden declared the fires a major disaster early Thursday.

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