LA Wildfires

NotSpaghetti hope your son is safe.

The helicopters were unable to fly in some areas.
The previous chief fire officer who dealt with major fires 5 years ago was on the radio earlier explaining more about it.
I think we can't be giving instructions from over here.
They do know what their problems are!

I say this with a genuine interest as my son has his home there.

petra I didn’t say that it wasn’t complicated.

ronib

Reservoirs are something of an obvious solution to water shortage problems California faces but, as in the Uk, there’s a lack of political will to increase numbers.
My husband tried very hard to get our local mp interested in building more reservoirs and was told no, not possible and people have to use less water.
I hope this devastation will lead to improvements in infrastructure when reconstruction goes ahead.

Collecting water in California is more complicated than just building reservoirs.

science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/save-rain-future-droughts.htm#:~:text=In%20more%20populated%20areas%2C%20one,would%20have%20to%20be%20treated.

Some of the fires are even arson
What on earth is happening to peoples brains .. why ???

Reservoirs are something of an obvious solution to water shortage problems California faces but, as in the Uk, there’s a lack of political will to increase numbers.
My husband tried very hard to get our local mp interested in building more reservoirs and was told no, not possible and people have to use less water.
I hope this devastation will lead to improvements in infrastructure when reconstruction goes ahead.

Many of the firefighters are prisoners who work out their community service

Every property owner was meant to cut the shrub down from around their houses, like many areas, there are people who don`t care and or could not be bothered or were unable. All that shrub is loosely coiled and thin. Also, it takes all sorts to make a town, druggies, arsonists, drunks, cigarette smokers

The government will be investigating fire causes and arson will be high on the list. The houses were wooden due to earthquake threat

Allira
Parts of Australia have had 3 years of drought.

A man is being held in custody at the moment for suspected arson.

M61, Governor Newson makes it clear here what the money was spent on., which was a large scale plan to tackle homelessness and some hydrants were neglected. (not puberty blockers) other factors at work: it was not safe for helicopter water spraying tho there was the capacity.

Listen tho him yourself, its on this short video

edition.cnn.com/2025/01/09/politics/video/gavin-newsom-california-fires-trump-digvid

nanna8

They certainly are because not only do they risk their lives but they have to wear hot protective gear in boiling hot weather. Plus many of them here are volunteers (CFA) and don’t get paid a cent.

Plus many of them here are volunteers (CFA) and don’t get paid a cent.

Yes, I know. Most farmers will be volunteer fire fighters in rural areas, often the only ones.

They certainly are because not only do they risk their lives but they have to wear hot protective gear in boiling hot weather. Plus many of them here are volunteers (CFA) and don’t get paid a cent.

Those firefighters are heroes.

Trump is right, they have cut corners.
I blame Karen Bass for cutting 20 million from fire & rescue budget- No water in the fire hydrants- shameful!
Newsome is just as bad- as long as there’s a big budget for druggies to get their paraphernalia & kids to get their, puberty blockers 🙄

You are still allowed to control burn in Australia but you have to get a permit and stick to the rules. The reason is that previously many burns ended up in bushfires by accident. I have experienced the horror of bushfires. My daughter and her young family lost their house and everything they owned in a fierce fire when they lived in the bush. You never really recover, it affected the personalities of their children for years because all their pets were killed and they lost everything they had ever known. They eventually moved off their burnt out land where they had been camping and now live in a ‘safe’ area. I would never, ever live in the bush it is nerve wracking every Summer. Most of the fires are caused by human carelessness(or deliberate) and they actually caught the bastard who started the Gippsland fires where my daughter lost their house.

I just ran across this article that explains the area and prescription burning, and how goats can help!

www.motherjones.com/environment/2025/01/los-angeles-palisades-eaton-fire-climate/

This has some good before and after photos, as well as an aerial of the fire.

These are homes with normal vegetation.

www.lbc.co.uk/news/la-fires-trail-of-destruction-seen-from-space-in-shocking-before-and-after/

If we could get the rich to pay taxes around here, lots of things would be different. Here is a great example of a rich person who gloats about landlords not paying taxes, while then begging for help to save his property from the fire.

Hypocritical.

the taxpayers do not want to pay for the increased budgets

I do realise that not everyone who lives there is well-off but surely there are enough affluent householders there so that budgets did not need to be cut?

It really is devastating to see what is happening.

You can not do a controlled burn in a city of 3.8 million people
I did not say you could.
But, according to the news here, vegetation has grown rapidly over very recent years due to wet then warm conditions.

It is all quite horrifying.

Well crappy cabinet ppicks.who cares if they are scrappy.

You can not do a controlled burn in a city of 3.8 million people. Forested or not.

You can not expect everyone to strip down all vegetation around houses, though there is likely restrictions from the city as to what you can or can not plant.

There has been a drought in the Colorado River basin for years and the reduction of water usage is so no one runs out of water due to low levels. Luckily in 2023 there was a increase in precipitation, but it is not enough. This doesn't even get into the topic if water rights in the western US.

All departments get budget cuts. Because the taxpayers do not want to pay for the increased budgets. Same as in the UK. And it is going to get worse once the Trump Federal Government starts slashing departments, regulations, and money to states for this type of thing.

We went from the Democrats purposely making the hurricane worse to "take out" Republican voters, to now the Democrats are using DEI to burn down Los Angeles.

It is all nonsense spewed by Trump to further division sonwe don't pay attention to his aspirations of invading Sovereign Nations and his scrappy cabinet picks.

Claremont

imaround

That archive talks about Federal Publiclly owned land (which the Trump teams wants to sell to investment bankers and drill on). This is the City of Los Angeles on fire, not a national park. You can not do a controlled burn in a large city for goodness sakes.

This is just Trump spewing nonsense instead of being worried about the people losing homes.

Allira, yes I did. And Canadiangran has given the right answer.

I have been to LA and the Palisade area- this is not a wild forest environment, but large individual properties. How could anyone do a 'control burn'?

We have friends in Colorado who were forced to cut all the trees for quite a distance around their lodge in the woods. They were devastated to have to do this, but they accepted it was necessary. But this is a very different situation.

I was just trying to explain what I thought another poster meant and saying what had happened in Australia.
And I said I don't know about the USA and what has been happening there but presumably Louella12 knows.

So stop trying to make an argument, please, out of such a frightening and devastating situation.

CanadianGran

Trump will take any opportunity to bash a politician in an area that is not Republican. If you don't vote for him, he doesn't care about you.

The area does have water, but the mountainous territory means it has to be pumped to holding tanks where it will gain pressure, then gravity fed through pipes to homes, businesses and hydrants. The tanks were emptied quickly with so many fires, and could not be filled quickly enough by the pumps. It is indeed a tragedy, but hardly the fault of the governor. And it was not the time to bring it up!! A decent leader would help bring support, then look at the faults in the system when there is time.

That’s the point CanadianGran. Today is just not the time for ‘I told you so’s and politicking.

imaround

That archive talks about Federal Publiclly owned land (which the Trump teams wants to sell to investment bankers and drill on). This is the City of Los Angeles on fire, not a national park. You can not do a controlled burn in a large city for goodness sakes.

This is just Trump spewing nonsense instead of being worried about the people losing homes.

Allira, yes I did. And Canadiangran has given the right answer.

I have been to LA and the Palisade area- this is not a wild forest environment, but large individual properties. How could anyone do a 'control burn'?

We have friends in Colorado who were forced to cut all the trees for quite a distance around their lodge in the woods. They were devastated to have to do this, but they accepted it was necessary. But this is a very different situation.