It’s been a week since devastating wildfires began in Los Angeles, with powerful winds making the flames very difficult to contain.
More than 40,000 acres have already burned and at least 24 people have died. By comparison, the entirety of Washington, D.C., is 43,000 acres. More than 12,300 structures were destroyed and at least 90,000 people were without power. Disinformation is on the rise as influencers sell questionable products, right-wing commentators blame ‘wokeness’ for destruction and landlords seek profit. AccuWeather estimates total damage and economic loss at more than $250 billion.
President Biden has pledged full federal funding for six months for California’s efforts to fight the fires, while top Republicans continue to discuss placing “conditions” on federal aid to California. The Trump administration has a history of withholding aid during disasters, and he was quick to criticize California Gov. Gavin Newsom (and the fish).
Observers across political parties have blamed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for the crisis, with some accusing her of being in Ghana on the first day of the fire during an official trip to inaugurate new President John Dramani Mahama. He was criticized for attending. People like Los Angeles City Supervisor Kenneth Mejia and city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the city government recently cut the Los Angeles Fire Department by $17.6 million, losing 61 positions as calls for service increased. criticized.
Meanwhile, more than 22,000 emergency personnel were deployed to fight the blaze, including more than 900 incarcerated firefighters working for just $10 a day.
California’s recruitment of wildland firefighters from prisons faced sharp criticism last week, despite the state’s rejection of a November ballot measure that would have banned all prison work, including firefighting. Many incarcerated and formerly incarcerated firefighters have spoken positively about the program. Others point out that it’s much better than being in a California prison.
Officials expect the actual death toll to exceed the 24 deaths recorded so far, which includes many disabled residents. A UN study found that people with disabilities die from disasters two to four times more often than the general population.
What actually sparked the three fires is under investigation. While misinformation about the arsonist spread online, experts are investigating the role of embers from power lines and fireworks.
But the fuels, including strong Santa Ana winds, low rainfall and climate change, are undeniable. “There’s no question” that climate change is worsening fire regimes and affecting fires, says Jon Keeley. “The fire ecologist with the US Geological Survey and associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said: mother jones‘ Jackie Flynn Mogensen last week.
Of the three fires burning in Los Angeles, the Hearst Fire in San Fernando is 799 acres and 97% contained. The Palisades Fire, which attracted particular attention for engulfing celebrity homes, is only 17% contained and has already burned more than 23,000 acres, making it the most destructive fire to hit Los Angeles County.
Finally, the Eaton Fire, which has burned more than 14,000 acres in the city of Altadena and surrounding areas, is 35% contained. As the civil rights movement deregulated the Los Angeles area in the mid-20th century, Altadena became known as a place where black residents had less trouble owning a home. Today, the city’s black homeownership rate is more than 80 percent, nearly twice the national average for black households. Multi-generational families lost their homes, and a coalition of black organizers raised more than $10 million to support displaced black families in the region.
A prominent resident of Altadena was the MacArthur “genius” grant-winning science fiction writer Octavia Butler, who wrote an eerily prescient novel in 1993. Parable of the Sower, This, combined with the emergence of a far-right president with the catchphrase “Make America Great Again,” predicted massive wildfires in Los Angeles, including Altadena, in 2025.
In an essay titled “Some Rules for Predicting the Future,” Butler wrote that a student asked him if he believed he would be in the future he predicted. “I didn’t solve the problem,” she responded. “All I did was look at the problems we were neglecting now and give them about 30 years until they grew into full-blown disasters.”
Butler was buried in 2006 at Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena, where a fire broke out last week.
