How big are California's wildfires — and why are they spreading so fast? | Climate News

At least five people have been killed and thousands of homes burned in wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles in California, the most populous state in the United States.

More than 130,000 residents in various neighborhoods of the city of Los Angeles have been ordered to evacuate as the fires that broke out on Tuesday continue to spread quickly, fueled by high winds.

So how big are the fires now and how did they start?

What caused the California wildfires?

The first fire started in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles at 10:30 a.m. (18:30 GMT) on Tuesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of the worst firestorm in recent memory, but a combination of factors may have created conditions optimal for a fire.

California typically experiences wildfires in June and July, and they can last until October, but the flames defied the calendar this year, breaking out in January, the coldest of the winter months.

Southern California, the site of the fires, is experiencing a drought and hasn't had significant rainfall in months. Last year, less than four percent of California was affected by drought, compared to nearly 60 percent this year. according to the US Land Monitor.

Climate change has contributed to an increase in the frequency, season length and area burned of wildfires, according to a report by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

So, dry conditions aided by the Santa Ana winds — dry and hot winds common in the area — most likely caused the wildfires.

Dry desert air moves from the region's interior to the coast and coastline. It contributes to forest fires as it significantly reduces the humidity in the environment due to its dry nature. This causes the vegetation to become very dehydrated and susceptible to fire. Under these circumstances, any spark can start a fire, whether it's from a cigarette lighter, a car, or a power line.

Gusts of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) were reported at higher elevations Tuesday night, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Daniel Ehresman.

In addition to dry vegetation in Los Angeles, there are other flammable materials such as low-hanging power cables and wooden telephone poles.

Santa Ana winds have been linked to extreme wildfires in California in the past, including the Woolsey fire in November 2018, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 buildings.

However, experts warn the weather conditions are terrible this year.

“We really haven't seen a season as dry as this after a season as wet as the previous one – all this extremely abundant growth of grass and vegetation followed immediately by wind of this magnitude while still being so incredibly dry,” Daniel Swain, climatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a live broadcast Monday.

How big are the wildfires in California?

Rapid distribution

The fire started in Palisades, located on the Pacific Ocean, and from there the flames quickly spread to other neighborhoods. The second fire broke out in Eton around 18:00 (02:00 GMT) on Tuesday. A third fire also broke out that same day in Sylmar, in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Los Angeles, called the Hearst Fire.

Five more fires broke out in California on Wednesday: the Lidia, Sunset and Woodley fires in Los Angeles; the Olivas Fire in Ventura and the Tyler Fire in Riverside.

Amount of land burned

According to Cal Fire, here is the current status of the major fires as of Wednesday evening:

• Palisades: At least 6,970 hectares (17,234 acres)
• Eaton: At least 4,290 hectares (10,600 acres)
• Hearst: At least 346 hectares (855 acres)
• Lydia: At least 140 hectares (348 acres)
• Sunset: At least 17 hectares (43 acres)

The Woodley fire burned 30 acres (12 hectares) of land, while the Olivas and Tyler fires burned 11 acres (4.5 hectares) each.

Here's a comparison of aerial images of the Pacific Coast Highway before and after the Palisades fire.

And here's Altadena before and after the Eton fire.

Restriction

Fire containment percentage refers to the perimeter or containment line established around the fire by firefighters to prevent it from spreading further. A boundary line can be any physical barrier around the fire, such as a shallow trench dug into the earth.

The fires in California are barely contained, which means there is no prevention from their further spread. The Palisades, Eaton and Sunset fires are zero percent contained, while the Hurst fire is 10 percent contained and the Lidia fire is 40 percent contained.

The Woodley, Olivas and Tyler fires are 100 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.

What was the government's response?

The scale of the fires is out of control, according to the local fire department.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told the X Post Wednesday night that 7,500 firefighters are currently on the scene.

US President Joe Biden has canceled an upcoming visit to Italy to focus on the federal response to the fire, the White House said.

Biden posted on his X account that his team provided 5 air tankers and 10 helicopters to fight fires. However, strong winds hampered air rescue operations.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference that firefighters from six other states, including Nevada, were being rushed to California. In addition, 250 engine companies with 1,000 employees were moved from Northern California to Southern California.

But the resources are exhausted.

A water shortage in the Palisades has dried up some fire hydrants.

Janisse Quinones, chief executive of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, told a media conference that Pacific Palisades depends on three reservoirs holding about a million gallons (3.78 million liters) each. Quinones added that the demand for water to fight fires at lower elevations creates difficulties in refilling water reservoirs at higher elevations.

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) has issued evacuation orders for Hollywood, Hearst and the Palisades. Click here to view LAFD's interactive evacuation map.

what's next

Winds have died down to about 30-50 mph (50-80 km/h), but the fires are still active.

Unfortunately, winds are expected to pick up Thursday night and Friday morning. However, they will not be as intense as the winds that fueled the fires on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Winds are forecast to die down by Friday and red flag fire warnings will be lifted later that evening.