Wildfires in Los Angeles: Why is the fire in Hollywood so bad? ‘Santa Ana’ winds are explained.
Many of the burning fires began on Tuesday, fanned by hurricane-force ‘Santa Ana’ winds, reaching above 112 kph in some spots.
Five individuals have lost their lives, numerous residents have been evacuated, many homes have been ravaged, and hundreds of firefighters are battling the flames in Los Angeles, California, a city known for being the heart of the nation’s film and television industry.
Numerous wildfires ignited on Tuesday, driven by powerful ‘Santa Ana’ winds that reached speeds over 70 mph (112 kph) in certain areas. The winds remained on Wednesday, making it extremely dangerous for aircraft to combat the fires from above, delaying efforts. Aerial firefighting commenced Wednesday morning and has since been ongoing to combat the fires that have already destroyed hundreds of properties, including the homes of celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Mandy Moore. Follow the Los Angeles wildfires LIVE updates.
The devastating wildfires have severely impacted the affluent areas of Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, and Altadena, which are known to be residences of various celebrities.
What makes the fires in Los Angeles so intense?
With an estimated 1,000 structures destroyed and the fire still active, the Pacific Palisades fire is by far the city’s most destructive in modern history, surpassing the Sayre fire in 2008, which destroyed just over 600 structures, according to statistics kept by the Wildfire Alliance, a collaboration between the city’s fire department and MySafe:LA.By structures, we mean homes and various other types of buildings.
California has a lengthy history of wildfires caused by electricity wires in severe winds. However, the blazes in Los Angeles are the first calamity to have impacted so many people across the city at the same time since the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Santa Ana winds, a key cause of some of Los Angeles’ deadliest wildfires, are dry, heated, and gusty winds that blow from Southern California’s desert interior toward the coast, countering the regular flow of moist air from the Pacific. These winds arise when high pressure in the Great Basin causes air to drop toward Southern California. As it moves across mountain ridges and deep gorges, the atmosphere grows increasingly dry and warm.
The threat of strong winds is that they might dry up vegetation, lowering humidity levels to single digits. This renders both living and dead plants very flammable. With these high winds, even a small spark—such as one from a downed power line—Can soon become a rapidly spreading wildfire.
The Santa Ana winds have been linked to some of Southern California’s most devastating wildfires.
The winds are thought to have gotten its name from the Santa Ana Canyon in Orange County, but alternative hypotheses exist, as do other nicknames like “devil winds.”
Dry Santa Ana winds will continue to blast down from the mountains through Friday, according to Nick Nauslar, the US Storm Prediction Center’s fire science and operations officer.
Rising temperatures, decreasing rainfall, drought conditions, and the wildland-urban boundary in southern California all make weather phenomena like Santa Ana winds increasingly more deadly.
California has faced ongoing droughts, which have left the soil and plant life parched, offering more fuel for wildfires. Additionally, the growth of housing and infrastructure in areas susceptible to fires, referred to as the “wildland-urban interface,” complicates firefighting efforts and increases the danger to both lives and property.
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