The start of 2025 has been truly devastating, not just for the residents of the Los Angeles area, but for our earth as a whole. If the extreme weather patterns were not already a wake-up call, the devastation of one of the nation’s most fire-ready cities must be. Clearly, it wasn’t lack of preparation for the wildfires that caused the destruction, as over three million gallons of water were stored to fight the blaze. If that isn’t enough water to contain even a fraction of the damage, there must be a larger problem at hand. It is immature to criticize the city’s solution; instead, we must attack the root of the problem: climate change.
As a California native, I have experienced my fair share of evacuation warnings and smokey skies. Throughout my childhood, the months of May through October were known as “fire season,” and it was not uncommon to wear N-95 masks to school, even before the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, I hated the sour bite of smoke that settled in the air even hundreds of miles from the fire’s core, however, this annual occurrence was normalized in such a way that wildfires hardly felt dystopian. Though I didn’t realize it then, the idea of “fire season” was just another way of dismissing the true destruction of our planet’s changing climate.
The Los Angeles fires consist of three main blazes: the coastal Palisades fire, the Eaton fire near Pasadena, and the Hurst fire further north. According to “CNN,” as of January 15, 24 deaths have been reported and more than 40,000 acres of land have been burned. The “Los Angeles Times” reported that the fires were a result of the significant drought of Southern California, alongside the raging Santa Ana winds, reaching speeds of one hundred miles per hour. This phenomenon occurred from high air pressure to the east and low pressure on the coast, causing the two currents to circulate rapidly to equalize the pressure. While both drought and high wind mileage happen naturally, climate change has caused both factors to intensify over the past years.
“The New York Times” explains that the rain patterns over the past year have been extremely erratic. Last winter, Southern California experienced a considerable rainy season that was quickly followed by a multi-month drought. The sudden increase then decrease of rainfall allowed for a larger cultivation of the region’s vegetation. However, when the moisture depleted, the immense amounts of dry soil placed Southern California at high risk for brush fires. Unfortunately, it took little more than high wind streams to set off what became the most destructive fires in Los Angeles’s history.
The problem stems from a multifaceted climate issue that is far greater than a lack of stored water. However, through his Truth Social platform, President-elect, Donald Trump, inaccurately blamed the destruction on the state government, accusing them of being unprepared and irresponsible with water distribution. “ABC News” debunked this claim, as they reported that three million gallons of water were prepared before the fires began, however, the demand quickly grew to four times that quantity.
Three million gallons.
If that amount of water is too little, we are focusing on the wrong concern.
The California Natural Resources Defence Council officials confirmed that the millions of gallons stored was an ample amount to fight the usual California wildfires. Water scarcity director, Mark Gold recently stated to “CBS” that the fires’ destruction could not be contained by any amount of ready water, especially as The Metropolitan Water District had a record water supply stored prior to the disaster.
It is ineffective, and truthfully, immature to blame the destruction of the Los Angeles fires on a solution that was meant for a problem of a much smaller scale. Attacking California’s preparation is similar to putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. The solution cannot merely be to store more water or to find a more efficient way to refill hydrants, but instead society must prioritize preventing significant drought as a whole.
While there is little that can be done to reverse the damage of the Los Angeles fires, there are multiple measures that can help prevent this disaster from occurring again. Though it takes significant time and resources, regional projects such as removing dead trees and vegetation in times of drought can considerably decrease the risk of brush fires. For California residents, following government guidelines such as practicing campfire safety and maintaining all-terrain vehicles and equipment can be impactful everyday practices that directly protect communities from wildfire. However, to tackle the long-term root of forest fires, we must avoid drought and excessive dehydration in its entirety. For this horrific disaster to not become our generation’s reality, political leaders must acknowledge that the fate of our world hinges on the trajectory of our changing climate. If we do nothing to target the root of this tragedy, the damage will become irreversible and any subsequent efforts will all be too late.
