Los Angeles is bracing for several more days of wildfires as containment efforts struggle against challenging conditions
The Palisades Fire has been burning for a week now, and only 17% of it is contained. It’s already scorched about 24,000 acres, which is roughly half the size of Brooklyn.
In total, over 40,000 acres in Southern California have been set ablaze recently. The Auto Fire in Ventura is also causing concern.
The biggest hurdle right now is the hot, dry winds. They picked up earlier this week, but thankfully not as bad as expected. Meteorologist Heather Zehr mentioned that the weather is improving, which is helping firefighters make progress.
Last week, those strong winds were a real challenge, outpacing the firefighters. But now, with the winds calming down, there’s hope for better containment this weekend.
The direction of the wind is crucial too. The Santa Ana winds have been bringing dry air, but if they shift, we could see some moisture from the ocean.
Another issue is the delay in the rainy season. This winter has been one of the driest on record for LA, with just 0.16 inches of rain so far.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like rain is coming anytime soon. Zehr noted that the usual rains for this time of year are delayed, with minimal chances until the end of January.
Jacob Weigler, a wildlife coordinator, believes the fires will be contained soon, thanks to the large number of firefighters on the ground.
He mentioned that while it’s hard to predict exactly when the fires will be fully under control, the fact that the acreage hasn’t increased is a good sign.
However, even when the fires are contained, it might take a while to completely extinguish them. Weigler pointed out that the size of the fire isn’t huge compared to others, but its location and impact are significant.
Firefighters are working hard to keep the flames from spreading further, especially in a city where it’s trickier than in the forest.
They can’t just clear out buildings like they would with trees in a forest fire. Instead, they’re trying to create a perimeter using roads and other natural barriers.
For the homes and businesses within that area, they’re on their own. There simply aren’t enough resources to put out every fire.
The strategy is to contain the fire and let it burn out on its own. When multiple homes are burning, the focus shifts to protecting the rest of the community.
