What You Need to Know:
- Four major wildfires are currently burning across Los Angeles County, with at least 10 confirmed deaths. Officials caution that the full extent of the fatalities won’t be known until it’s safe for investigators to enter affected neighborhoods. Over 153,000 people are under evacuation orders, according to the county sheriff. A mistake led to countywide evacuation warnings being accidentally sent to millions, prompting an apology from officials, who assured that efforts to correct the issue are underway. They urged residents not to disable emergency alerts.
- Entire neighborhoods have been devastated by the fires, with at least 10,000 properties destroyed, according to the Los Angeles County assessor. The coastal Palisades Fire, one of the blazes, is predicted to be one of the costliest wildfires in U.S. history, according to a climate expert. While some progress has been made, firefighters reported that the fire is currently only 8% contained.
- Firefighting efforts are expected to be further complicated by continued dry conditions and high winds. If winds become too strong, firefighting aircraft may be grounded, hampering efforts. This situation highlights how California’s unique vulnerability to climate change is worsening the impact of such disasters.
