Los Angeles, California — home to over half a million Filipinos — is currently being ravaged by wildfires.
Some Filipino caregivers and domestic workers have been forced to evacuate their homes with their patients, according to the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns. The fires have also destroyed the homes of residents, including celebrities and athletes.
At least five fires are currently raging across major areas, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as of Friday, January 10, displacing at least 30,000 people. These fires are affecting Palisades, Eaton, Altadena, Hurst, Lidia, and Kenneth.
The wildfires are being fueled by a combination of environmental factors.
California’s prolonged drought has left vegetation extremely dry and highly flammable, turning trees, brush, and undergrowth into fuel for the flames.
Los Angeles has not seen significant rainfall since May 5, when the city recorded just 0.13 inches, the Los Angeles Times reported. A tenth of an inch of rain is necessary to hydrate dry vegetation and mitigate wildfire risks.
Adding to this are the Santa Ana winds, strong and dry gusts originating from inland deserts. These winds exacerbate fire conditions by stripping vegetation of its remaining moisture, allowing fires to ignite and spread more quickly.
“This is one of the most powerful wind events of the season. Although it is occurring in the heart of what is normally our wet season, we have had no significant precipitation to shut off its ability to spread wildfire quickly,” Alex Hall, director of University of California, Los Angeles’ Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, said in a press release.
“This drives home the point that we must learn to live with wildfire,” he added.
Meanwhile, Crystal Raymond, deputy director of the Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative at the University of Washington, linked the wildfire to climate change and urban development.
”Because of the warming trend of climate change, the vegetation is a little bit drier and the fire season is a little bit later,” Raymond said in an interview with Time.
She pointed out that as long as areas that were once natural vegetation are transformed into commercial developments, wildfires will continue to cause devastation. – Rappler.com