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Los Angeles Times
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Los Angeles Times
California fire season kicks off with a blazing bang
It's going to be a bad fire season. Even at what historically has been the start of rainy season in Southern California, we had some of our worst fires. The Eaton and Palisades fires in January caused an unprecedented level of destruction, killing at least 30 people, destroying more than 16,000 homes in L.A. County and leaving a burn zone 2½ times the size of New York's Manhattan. Two weeks into peak fire season, wildfires are spreading in California. Officials say it's just the beginning. More than a dozen fires began sparking across Riverside and San Bernardino counties last week. A fire in rural San Luis Obispo County had grown to more than 80,000 acres as of Sunday evening and was California's largest this year, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Experts warn that the latest fiery events set the stage for what is to come over the next few months as the state moves from an unusually dry winter and spring into what are expected to be a hot summer and fall. Matt Rahn, director of the Wildfire Conservancy, told The Times: 'We are on track for a pretty devastating year overall. If we get hotter and drier throughout the state, then that risk increases significantly. We're hoping that that doesn't happen, but all predictions are pointing to a much hotter, drier summer and fall.' Is the state ready for an exceptionally active wildfire season? Experts say it may not be. Sweeping changes at federal agencies that play key roles in California's wildfire preparation and response could make a challenging season even worse. The forecast comes as the Trump administration is enacting budget cuts, layoffs, office closures and restructuring at the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As my colleague Hayley Smith reports, weakening the three agencies at the start of fire season puts California at a dangerous disadvantage. Southern California fire chiefs caution that a season of devastating wildfires is all but guaranteed. 'We can never let our guard down,' said L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, who helped lead the region through the January wildfires. Ronnie Villanueva, the Los Angeles Fire Department's interim chief, told The Times that his firefighters were on high alert for brush fires after months of light rainfall left heaps of dry vegetation ready to serve as kindling. He also encouraged residents to make their homes as fire-resistant as possible, using weed trimmers, clearing roofs of leaves and digging under decks for dead vegetation. 'We simply cannot have a fire engine in every driveway,' he warned. Wildfires can be scary to think about, but The Times is here to help. In our seven-part newsletter series, In Case of Fire, breaking news reporter Karen Garcia guides readers through preparing your home, property and loved ones for wildfires. Every week you'll get instructions and assignments. Sign up and send it to your friends and neighbors too. Today's great photo is from Times photographer Carlin Stiehl and captures the scene at the July Fourth protests in Los Angeles, where a large crowd peacefully marched to City Hall in protest of immigration raids and Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics. Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
CBS News
25-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Experts unveil research on how to better protect health of firefighters in wake of L.A. fires
SACRAMENTO — Research is just beginning on the impacts that the Palisades and Eaton wildfires in Southern California had on the health of first responders. Those blazes are in the spotlight as wildfire scientists gather in Sacramento this week. From a standing ovation at the Grammys to shoutouts at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, crews who fought the wildfires are riding a wave of public support. "I'm glad they recognized the magnitude of this incident," said Matt Rahn, executive director of the Wildfire Conservancy. Rahn said the Los Angeles blazes show just how dangerous these types of urban infernos can be for fire crews. "The toxic, hazardous, and carcinogenic compounds that they were exposed to for days if not weeks is devastating," he said. Now, safety experts are meeting in Sacramento this week to unveil research that can help make the career a little less risky. "We found in some of our testing that, in many cases, firefighters have very high sustained peak heart rates and core body temperatures," said Kelcey Stricker, health and safety director of the Wildfire Conservancy. Their study shows that something as simple as drinking ice water can make a big difference. "We no longer have runaway core temperature if you can get firefighters ice water periodically throughout the day," Rahn said. Other ideas include using softer sounds and lighting when waking fire crews in the middle of the night for an emergency call. "They're going from 0 to 60. Their heart rate, their adrenaline, everything starts pumping," Rahn said. "There's a lot of good research that shows it can really be beneficial." Public awareness could also help sway lawmakers into passing new laws that regulate where homes in wildfire-prone areas can be built. "The devastation we're seeing is going to occur again in California," Rahn said. "We need to take that seriously. We need to protect our communities and make good decisions on planning and land use and rebuilding." The Wildfire Conservancy is also recruiting fire crews for a study on the long-term impacts of fighting the L.A. fires, similar to research done on crews that responded to the 9/11 attacks.
