Jan. 7th, 2025, slightly over two months ago, the most destructive fires in California’s history broke out. This tragedy lasted a full three weeks before being fully contained, and by the time this disaster ended, California was left in shambles.
Over the course of a month, uncontained fires rapidly spread and the death count reached nearly 30, while the amount of residents evacuated reached 130,000. Not to mention the 12,000 structures either damaged or entirely destroyed in the process.
And as to what caused this statewide disaster? Although investigations have been ongoing since the beginning of the incident, there is yet to be a plausible answer.
Nonetheless, after investigating possible sources of the issue such as arson, sparking power lines, and fireworks, an expert from Boston University suspected that the cause was natural.
“Natural causes are more plausible than arson, due to heavy wind conditions,” according to Boston University Today.
Winds may have been the reason for the Los Angeles fires, but what about states that continuously suffer from heavy wind like Montana or Wyoming? Or the states constantly on fire like Texas or North Carolina? How do we go about properly dealing with these situations?
Truth be told, these fires were not simply due to the heavy wind conditions. Although a definite factor, scientists say climate change was a major component of this California disaster. In fact, Doctor Clair Barnes, from Imperial College London agrees with this take in a BBC interview.
“Climate change increased the risk of the devastating LA wildfires,” Barnes said.
With so many outlandish behaviors in the weather, such as the Los Angeles fires, absurd amounts of snow in Texas, and a catastrophic hurricane in Florida, how does one go about preparing for and possibly even preventing these disasters?
Well, preparing for a fire is a lot easier than preparing for all of the potential threats climate change may bring. In fact, there is nothing any one person can do to prevent or to lessen the effects of it either.
That being said however, we can prepare for what comes with it. For example, with the Los Angeles fires, they lacked water and other resources. So in the case of another emergency, whether that is a fire outbreak or a snow storm. The United States must work towards preparing each state individually for anything that may come their way.
The devastating California wildfires serve as yet another reminder of climate change’s growing threat. As disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, and snowstorms continue to happen across the country, it is clear that preparation is needed. While no one may ever be able to fully stop nature’s surprises, there is certainly worth being prepared.
