In the USA, firefighters in Los Angeles are battling multiple blazes as officials warn of strong winds that could fuel rapid fire growth. Southern California also faces extremely critical fire conditions as strong Santa Ana winds threaten new wildfires and hinder recent firefighting progress.
A new blaze, the Auto Fire, also broke out late yesterday in Ventura County, part of an area under the highest fire threat as winds pick up. Local media reported that the Eaton and Palisades fires are likely the second and fourth most destructive in California history.
The total area burnt by the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires is about 60 square miles—an area larger than Paris. AccuWeather has estimated the fires could be the costliest ever seen in the U.S. It has made an early estimate that total costs could top 250 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, major Hollywood studios are announcing millions of dollars in aid to support disaster relief for Los Angeles wildfire victims. Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery each pledged 15 million dollars, Amazon, Comcast, and Netflix 10 million dollars each, and Sony 5 million dollars.
These funds will aid groups like the California Fire Department and the Red Cross. Amazon also offered drones, food, cots, and hygiene products to responders.
Firefighters in the Los Angeles area are battling three major wildfires – two of which have claimed at least 24 lives – burning over 40,588 acres, and forced 150,000 people to evacuate.
The Palisades fire, the largest, is 14% contained, while the Eaton fire, the deadliest with 16 fatalities, is 33% contained. With the 799-acre Hurst Fire 97% contained, evacuation orders have been lifted from the Kenneth, Hurst, Lidia and Sunset Fires.
The wildfires erupted last week on Tuesday (January 7), fueled by powerful offshore winds and extremely dry conditions, as per NBC. Wind gusts exceeding 70 mph swept across the region, combining with drought-like conditions—less than 10% of the average rainfall since October 1—to create fire weather.
The National Weather Service described the fire danger as “about as bad as it gets.” While the exact cause of the fires remains undetermined, reported NBC, experts attribute the heightened wildfire risk to California’s climate patterns, which oscillate between drought and heavy rainfall.