LA Wildfires Updates
Los Angeles is currently facing one of the most devastating wildfire disasters in recent history. The Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire have together scorched nearly 38,000 acres, resulting in the loss of at least 24 lives, with 16 people still unaccounted for. Over 100,000 residents have been displaced, and thousands of homes have been reduced to rubble. Gusting Santa Ana winds reaching speeds of 100 mph, coupled with severe drought conditions, have fuelled the flames, making containment a formidable challenge. With the Palisades Fire only 11% contained and the Eaton Fire at 27%, California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared this catastrophe as potentially the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
What is the Immediate Cause of the Fires?
The exact cause of the Los Angeles wildfires remains unknown, but their intensity is a clear result of several contributing factors. One of the most significant is the fossil fuel industry’s role in intensifying the conditions that allow wildfires to thrive. While the industry itself doesn’t directly start fires, it acts as an enabler, enhancing their scale and destructiveness. These “21st-century fires” burn hotter, faster, and more unpredictably, fuelled by a climate made hotter and drier through fossil fuel emissions. By altering natural ecosystems, we’ve created the ideal conditions for wildfires to ignite and spread, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions to curb the climate crisis.
What is the Underlying Cause of the Fires?
The Los Angeles wildfires are a textbook case of hydroclimate whiplash, a phenomenon where alternating periods of extreme wetness and dryness create ideal conditions for wildfires. After two unusually wet winters caused rapid vegetation growth, a prolonged dry spell and record-breaking summer heat left this vegetation parched and highly flammable. The combination of these dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds created a perfect storm for the fires to ignite and spread rapidly.
Climate change has amplified this pattern, making swings between wet and dry conditions more pronounced. This intensification is a direct consequence of a warming atmosphere that holds more water, resulting in wetter wet seasons and drier dry periods. Scientists warn that as long as global temperatures continue to rise, hydroclimate whiplash will make events like the Los Angeles wildfires more frequent and devastating.
Did Climate Change Cause the Fires?
While climate change didn’t directly ignite the Los Angeles wildfires, it significantly worsened the conditions that allowed them to spread uncontrollably. The warming climate has dried out vegetation, turning it into highly flammable fuel. In 2024, global temperatures exceeded pre-industrial levels by 1.5°C for the first time, underscoring how warming trends are creating more extreme weather events.
Months without significant rainfall left much of California abnormally dry, with some areas facing "moderate to exceptional" droughts. These dry conditions, combined with hot Santa Ana winds, created a scenario where even a small spark—from power lines, vehicles, or discarded cigarettes—could trigger a massive blaze. Experts agree that while wildfires have always been part of California’s ecosystem, climate change has increased their size, frequency, and destructiveness.
As wildfire historian Stephen Pyne explains, global warming is “magnifying the wet and dry spells, lengthening the fire season, and ramping up all the elements that contribute to California’s firescape.” This makes tackling the climate crisis a critical step in reducing the likelihood and severity of future wildfires.
How does a house catch on fire?
Modern homes are filled with flammable materials that make them highly vulnerable during wildfires. Synthetic furniture, laminate floors, and particleboard cabinets are often made with petroleum-based chemicals that ignite easily and release toxic black smoke. Even electronics, constructed from plastic components, contribute to the rapid spread of fire. Unlike older homes made with natural materials, modern houses burn hotter and faster, increasing the likelihood of fire spreading from one property to another. In wildfire-prone areas, using fire-resistant materials and maintaining defensible spaces around homes can greatly reduce the risk of ignition.
Wildfires in Australia
The events in Los Angeles serve as a stark warning for Australian cities like Sydney or Melbourne, which could face similar wildfire disasters. While Australia doesn’t experience Santa Ana winds, we have downslope winds—dry, fast-moving winds capable of driving fires into urban areas. A similar scenario unfolded in Canberra in 2003, and experts caution that it could happen again if the right conditions align.
Older suburbs with dense housing, overgrown gardens, and high fuel loads are particularly at risk, as fires can quickly escalate into “house-to-house ignition,” where homes become the fuel. Newer suburbs with fire-resistant materials, clear gardens, and better spacing between properties are less vulnerable, but no area is entirely immune.
Australia, however, is not well-prepared for urban wildfire events. To reduce risks, governments and communities must prioritise maintaining clear boundaries between homes and bushland, enforcing fire-ready urban planning, and reducing fuel loads. Additionally, city residents need better bushfire education and access to safe zones, ensuring preparedness if fires strike urban areas. These steps are vital to safeguarding Australian cities against the increasing threat of wildfires.
What will happen next?
Wildfires, like those devastating Los Angeles, are expected to worsen as climate change progresses and land use continues to evolve. According to a UNEP report, global warming intensifies the conditions that fuel wildfires, magnifying hydroclimate whiplash and creating longer fire seasons. Beyond destroying homes and landscapes, wildfires also lead to secondary disasters like hillside erosion and toxic debris flows, making recovery lengthy and costly.
Modern homes, filled with synthetic materials, further exacerbate the issue by releasing harmful toxins when burned, adding a dangerous dimension to wildfire aftermaths. These events underscore the urgency of taking collective action to combat climate change, improve wildfire preparedness, and prioritise sustainable development. Without systemic changes, wildfires will continue to grow larger, more frequent, and increasingly devastating.
