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Wildfire in Los Angeles

Laura Puttkamer
South California regularly experiences wildfires, but currently, LA is experiencing the largest and costliest fire of its history. Copyright: CAL FIRE_Official

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The devastating wild fires in Los Angeles are still not over. However, cities around the world are already considering ways of avoiding similar disasters. Read on for background information and a look ahead.

In early January 2025, two major fires broke out in Los Angeles, one in the Palisades and one in the Eaton area of the Southern Californian city. While LA is no stranger to wildfires and their effects, with a particularly devastating fire only a few years ago in November 2018, the concern around rising temperatures is growing. After all, natural disasters like wildfires are only becoming worse. While climate change is not the only factor, it certainly exacerbated the fires.

100,000 displaced people

From what we know so far, the Palisades and Eaton wildfires were caused by several factors. One of them is a phenomenon known as Santa Ana winds, which are common occurrences in California in winter. They reach high velocities, which has helped to spread the flames faster. In addition, Southern California has experienced a very dry season, providing fuel to wildfires.

Officials do not know yet what caused the fire. Possible causes include arson, sparking power lines, and errant fireworks. However, from when the fires started on January 7, 2025, the weather and climate conditions contributed strongly to the swift spread of flames. California remains in a state of emergency.

So far, it looks like the fires have killed at least 27 people, destroyed over 15,000 structures, and charred around 63 square miles of land. As of January 21, 2025, tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County remain under evacuation orders. The Palisades and Eaton wildfires are still burning. It looks like around 100,000 people are displaced – not to speak of the economic damages from this disaster, which range in the tens of billions of dollars.

The fires are still burning as firefighters are looking for missing persons. Copyright: CAL FIRE_Official

A new scale of disasters

All over the world, climate change is fuelling hotter and drier conditions. A 2023 report by the OECD found that wildfires are increasing in frequency and severity due to these conditions. For example, many spots in the United States have been suffering from wildfires and increased fire risk. And in Germany, as well as in Greece and Spain, fires have become part of summers. The deadliest wildfires of the last 100 years happened in August 2023 in Maui, Hawaii, when over 100 people died.

These “climate-exacerbated wildfires” result in loss and tragedy, as well as in high costs and damages. They upend the normal rhythm of life and, as was the case in LA, can lead to misinformation and fear-mongering related to diversity efforts in the city’s fire department.

In California, wildfires are common, but the current disaster is at a new scale. They will be the most expensive fires ever to have happened in the United States. And insurance companies are already reluctant to pay those affected.

The Palisades fire started in the city of Los Angeles. Copyright: CAL FIRE_Official

A retreat from the firebelt is in order

While the fires are still raging, cities all over the world are asking how this could have happened – and how they can protect themselves. Much of the catastrophe is the result of decades of policy decisions, such as allowing construction in fire-prone landscapes, as well as changing climate conditions. Stopping the sprawl of LA and building upwards rather than outwards could be part of the solution.

Usually, fires happen in summer, rather than in winter. But we are already able to predict them relatively well. For decades, experts such as activist and urban theorist Mike Davis have warned that the city’s urban planning was creating the perfect conditions for a firestorm with man-made structures like timber-framed houses. Wildfires have followed the urban population for a long time.

Rather than focusing on fire suppression, as LA has done so far, it appears necessary to retreat from the firebelt. The native scrubland has always burned as part of the ecological cycle, and Indigenous groups carefully managed this natural rejuvenation process. Nature can cope with the fires. Instead of a rebuild, it is time to rethink how and where LA should grow. Bigger fire breaks, controlled burns, and higher density in safer areas could be answers.

Past planning decisions have exacerbated the effect of the current wildfires with money homes located in the firebelt. Copyright: CAL FIRE_Official

Learning from eco architecture and ecosystem restoration

The concept of eco architecture can also help prevent fires. It includes fire-resistant architecture and defensible open space around homes. The few houses that survived the Palisades and Eaton fires have these features, as the LA Times reports. Sturdy concrete structures with fire-safe roofs and tempered, double-glazed windows keep flames and heat away from a building. They reduce the likelihood of embers finding a weak spot to enter. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has even published a list of low-cost ways to retrofit homes.

Community immunity is another key word. When all houses in a neighbourhood are fire-resistant, there are no weak links that would allow fire to spread. Instead of sun-scorched grass and dry trees, gardens and parks (which also help to capture stormwater) with local vegetation can at least slow down fires while also providing important community spaces and reducing the heat island effect.

Of course, retrofitting and changing planning codes and preferences will take time. But better, more sustainable land use, improved monitoring and enforcement efforts, and building rules and standards play a key role in containing wildfire risks and impacts. And while we cannot bring fire frequency back down to historical levels unless we drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions, eco architecture and ecosystem restoration hold valuable lessons.

Read more about California’s post-modern pyroscapes here.

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