The Eaton fire burns in Sierra Madre, east side of Los Angeles, California, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.Ringo Chiu/ZUMA
This story was originally published by Slate and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
The firestorms that have been ravaging Los Angeles and Southern California since Tuesday afternoon are nothing short of calamitous. Thanks to dry weather and a burst of high-speed Santa Ana winds—some billowing in at close to 100 miles per hour—brush fires began flaring up across Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu, spreading rapidly and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee.
By that evening, the Palisades fire had consumed more than 1,260 acres and reached down to Santa Monica, destroying homes and schools in its wake. Another fire in the hills…