Fast-moving flames burn through homes and businesses as residents flee smoke-filled canyons through California, which began on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. This was fueled by Santa Ana winds, which are powerful and gusted more than 70 mph (112 kph). Here is what to know about the fires:
There are three major fires:
- The Palisades fire – west of Los Angeles has burned about 4.5 square miles (11.6 square kilometers).
- The Eaton fire – north of Pasadena has burned about 1.6 square miles (4 square kilometers).
- The Hurst fire – San Fernando Valley has burned about 500 acres (202 hectares).
More than 300,000 power customers are without power early Wednesday.
What caused the fires?
It is unknown at this time, but it all comes to dry weather conditions and heavy winds, dividing fires and making difficult to contain. Santa Ana dry winds have contributed to warmer than average temperatures. Southern California hasn’t seen more than 0.1 inches of rain since May.
What are California’s Santa Ana winds?
According to The Guardian, dry, warm and gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of southern California toward the coast and offshore, moving in the opposite direction of normal onshore flow that carries moist air from the Pacific into the region.
Santa Anas are created by high pressure over the Great Basin – the vast desert interior of the west overlapping several states. The sinking air loses its moisture and flows in a clockwise direction toward southern California, where it must get past towering mountain ranges that separate the desert from the metropolitan region lining the coast. Like a slow-moving river that suddenly narrows and turns into rapids, the air speeds up as it squeezes through mountain passes and canyons, becoming drier and warmer as it descends.
The extreme lack of humidity in the air causes vegetation- living and dead – significantly dry out and become susceptible to fire. Wind speeds can stoke any spark, for instance, a fallen power line or cigarette butt, causes into a rapidly spreading conflagration.
When does California’s wildfire typically begin?
According to Western Fire Chiefs Association, California’s wildfire season starts in June or July running through October. However, wildfires are not unprecedented. Data shows the season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall due to climate change. As a result, rains that usually end fire season are often delayed, and fires can burn through the winter months.
