Summary of Recent Events in California:
– More than 128,000 homes and businesses were without power in California.
– Governor Gavin Newsom initiated an investigation into water supply issues hindering firefighters.
– A potential arson suspect was arrested near the Kenneth Fire, but no probable cause was found.
– Climate change is a significant factor contributing to the increase in large wildfires in the U.S., with implications for public health and ecology.
– Experts emphasize the need for rebuilding with climate change in mind, including fire-resistant materials and community collaboration.
– About 120 veterans from the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center were evacuated as a precaution.
– Residents, like Richard and Cathryn Conn, faced uncertainty after evacuating their home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
“There is a chance it doesn’t exist anymore.”
“If you have ever wondered what it was like living in Dresden after the World War II firebombing, you should come to the Palisades,” he said.
They also don’t know what’s going to happen next, as dangerous weather conditions have made it difficult to contain the fires, and more brush fires seem to keep popping up all over the county.
“I feel like people are panicking,” said Gary Baseman, 64. Read more. ‒ Josh Peter, USA TODAY
See a map of Los Angeles wildfires.
Simple actions can make a big difference to protect homes from fire. The thousands of structures destroyed by the Los Angeles wildfires are a reminder of a new but growing reality for Americans living in hotter, drier, and more fire-prone areas – the need to create defensible space and fire-harden their homes.
This doesn’t mean cutting down every tree and surrounding a home with a desert of pea gravel, wildfire safety and insurance experts are careful to say. Instead, it’s implementing the tenets of this new-to-many concepts to give homeowners in fire-prone areas a fighting chance when firestorms swoop down on their neighborhoods.
Remove anything flammable from within a 5 feet perimeter of your home and any detached buildings, such as dry leaves and pine needles.
Cut trees growing near your roofline.
Remove jute and other flammable doormats, brooms from the porch, and flammable outdoor furniture. “They’re like kindling,” said Todd Lando, a Battalion Chief wildfire specialist with Central Marin Fire Department in Marin County, California.
The bottom 6 inches of a home should be built with brick, concrete, or other non-flammable materials. Read more. ‒ Elizabeth Weise
Contributing: Brandon Loomis, Paul Albani-Burgio, Isaiah Murtaugh, Jose Quintero, and Joan Meiners, Arizona Republic; Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Los Angeles wildfires: New evacuations; winds to build.
