The Tide May Finally Turn Against the LA Fires

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brent Pascua said, “With the winds being very calm this morning, I believe we can really make some progress, turn the corner and start to contain these fires.” he said The Today Show on Thursday.

So far, the response to the disaster has resulted in misinformation and controversy. After some fire hydrants ran dry, President-elect Donald Trump unreasonably accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of mismanaging the state’s water supply to save an endangered fish.

City crews were able to reach three water tanks in the hills near the Palisades Fire to increase pressure. Stewart says this allows the tanks to fill up more quickly so they can continue to supply the hydrants. Each tank can hold 1 million gallons. “We have full-flowing hydrants,” he says.

More firefighters have started arriving from Utah, Oregon, Arizona, Washington and New Mexico. Several dozen crews, each with five firefighters and a squad car, are on the road, Stewart said.

The plane started flying again on Wednesday. Twelve helicopters fill giant water buckets suspended from cables and draw seawater from snorkels. Six aircraft are also battling the fire, including a pair of “super scoop” planes skimming the surface of the Pacific Ocean to fetch water. Helicopters and bucket planes drop water on the fires, allowing firefighters to get closer and put them out.

Meanwhile, other planes drop fire retardants ahead of the inferno, coating the potential fuel with non-flammable chemicals and slowing its progress. A C-130 cargo plane that Cal Fire acquired from the Coast Guard and retrofitted this summer is capable of dropping 4,000 gallons of retardant. This takes time for firefighters to dig up and bulldoze fireproofing sections of bare earth.

With the ocean limiting the Palisades Fire to the south, responders will try to prevent it from moving east or west. “The real spread will be on the wing,” Pimlott said.

A red flag warning for increased fire risk will remain in place until Friday, with humidity expected to be only 8 to 12 percent. California had an unusually dry winter, with 40 percent of the state in drought conditions.

“Fuels remain critically dry,” Cal Fire’s James Magana he said at Thursday’s morning briefing. “You can expect to see critical spreading rates, especially on wind-tuned mountaintops or drainages.”

The wind direction is expected to reverse on Saturday. If firefighters are not ready, the heel of the fire can turn into a front and run north.

Even if they can contain the flames within the circle of fire extinguishers and natural obstacles, this will not be the end of the matter. Firefighters will have to put out smaller fires within this trail.

“This is a critical stage to remove these hot spots or anything that could ignite again if the winds pick up again,” says Upton.

Moving forward, the city must clean up debris, restore utility lines and analyze the environmental damage before allowing people to return. With canyons depleted of soil-holding trees and vegetation, there may be a risk of landslides after the rains return.

Los Angeles will face the prospect of rebuilding shattered communities. This is an opportunity to make them less vulnerable to the next fire, says University of California wildfire expert Max Moritz.

Although many cases require homes to be built with fire-resistant materials, California law does not say anything about how they should be placed. He says techniques such as grouping houses instead of scattering them among trees can make them easier to protect against fire and easier to evacuate.

“That’s part of the hope is that we can do it better, smarter and safer,” Moritz said.

Updated 1-10-2024 1:10 GMT: The number of destroyed structures has been updated.