To listen to the podcast version of this, click here: News Flash: The California Wildfires
Welcome to News Flash, where I try to give you a quick update on whatever is happening in the world. For today’s episode, I’m going to be covering the bare basics of what is happening with the California wildfires. Please keep in mind that this is a very quick overview and if you’re interested in learning more, please do your own research.
As of today, January 12, 2025, the California wildfires have been burning for 5 days. The first fire started in the Pacific Palisades, with additional fires lighting across Los Angeles. As of right now, the main fires are in the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst. Most of the Hurst fire is contained while Eaton has 27% contained and the Palisades have 11% contained. According to BBC, 16 people have been found dead in the Eaton fire zone while 8 were found dead in the Palisades area. There are 16 people reported as missing. The damage has been catastrophic, with there being an estimated cost of 150 billion dollars, according to AccuWeather.
It is suspected that the wildfires were caused by a mix of utility and intentional fires. Although it isn’t confirmed, the assumption is based on past wildfires. The Dixie Fire, the largest single wildfire in California history according to Singleton Schreiber, was caused by a blown fuse on a PG&E utility pole. Between vegetation, downed lines, and repetitive faults, there are multiple ways for power lines to ignite wildfires. As for the intentional fires, there have been past instances where gender-reveal parties have gone sideways. In 2020, a California couple’s gender-reveal party led to the destruction of 20 buildings and the death of a firefighter, Charlie Morton.
As for how the fires have been able to spread so quickly, experts are blaming the Santa Ana winds. The winds push dry air from the inland deserts toward the coast, and they carry fire embers with them. California is currently in a drought as well, which has led the local vegetation to be dry and extra susceptible to burning.
As for why the fires weren’t immediately put out, the blame falls on LA’s water system. The fire hydrants in the city are connected to three water tanks. Usually, there is enough pressure in the tanks to push water upward to where it is needed. However, the rapid depletion of the water supply led the pressure to drop, which prevented it from travelling uphill. Janisse Quinones, the CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, says that the system was pushed to its extreme. In a news conference, Quinones claims, “Four times the normal demand was seen for 15 hours straight, which lowered our water pressure.”
There is a hot political debate over the fire hydrant situation that I am not going to get into today. That said, if you are interested in learning more, there is a list of news articles and websites that I used as references to find this information. They will be linked in the transcript of this episode.
If you’re looking to help the victims, organizations like the American Red Cross and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation are looking for donations to support the victims of the fire. Again, this is an incredibly brief overview of what is actually happening so please do your own research to learn more about the wildfires.
Thank you for tuning into this episode of News Flash! I will see you all next time. Stay safe.
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