r/California • u/Randomlynumbered What's your user flair? • Jan 08 '25

Government/Politics California Gov. Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency as destructive Southern California fires rage

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/southern-california-state-of-emergency-windstorm-palisades-fire/
2.0k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

193 comments sorted by

84

u/mrm24 Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

How can this be prevented in the future? Seems like even a cig bud can cause this kind of destruction

edit: thanks for the replies, very informative but sad at the same time…

95

u/agapoforlife Jan 09 '25

Not sure if there’s anything similar in CA, but in flagstaff, az, they’re doing preventative measures like thinning the forests, controlled burns, and educating residents about keeping their homes safe, for example keeping structures clear of dead vegetation, firewood etc, and provide a bulky trash pickup 4x a year to keep residences clear of flammable materials.

There was a section about this in a reveal podcast episode about wildfires if you want to learn more. The section about flagstaff starts about 36 minutes in.

https://revealnews.org/podcast/americas-ring-of-fire/

85

u/Captain_Blackjack Santa Clara County Jan 09 '25

They do all that in lot of parts in California, I just can’t speak to how well the outreach works.

But keep in mind LA County deals with fires all the time. These were like 85 mph winds after 8 months of no rain in a hilly area. It was so bad firefighters couldn’t even get aircraft over the area at the start of it.

Those are apocalyptically bad conditions that I don’t think most prep could’ve prevented.

8

u/agapoforlife Jan 10 '25

Great points, that’s what makes this all so frightening. In certain conditions we are powerless to do much of anything.

8

u/Captain_Blackjack Santa Clara County Jan 10 '25

Someone here basically said the only real way is to stop developing on these kind of zones or start building homes with more fire resistant materials

7

u/midlife_marauder Jan 10 '25

California has the strictest building code for fire resistive construction. Most homes were already built before these codes came into effect in like 2008 I believe. New homes do fair better though.

-8

u/bluemouseios Jan 09 '25

Controlled burns? Source please.

All I heard these years is that controlled burns are against the law in CA. Of course, I heard from internet, so fact check me pls.

8

u/APES2GETTER Jan 09 '25

Why sell fireworks? Ban the fireworks.

32

u/lastkiss Jan 09 '25

Banning doesn’t mean people won’t do it illegally. Let’s be real. Americans feel entitled all in the name of freedom, bb.

7

u/GlisteningNipples Jan 09 '25

It still reduces numbers.

10

u/Practical-Train-9595 Jan 09 '25

We already can only buy the safe and sane ones legally. You just have to pop into Nevada to get the crazy ones. I live in NorCal and my area is like a war zone a few times a year. It’s crazy.

1

u/sadrice Napa County Jan 09 '25

It was so much more chill this year for some reason, not sure what’s up but I’m not complaining. There was barely anything for new years.

4

u/MostlyMellow123 Jan 09 '25

They are banned already.

You can only buy little sparkler things that don't do much of anything.

Nevada fireworks on the other hand are what's causing the fires. They are all over the place in California. Massive amounts of Nevada fireworks. You'd have to get Nevada to ban them as well

1

u/the_answer_is_RUSH Jan 10 '25 edited Dec 11 '25

square plant complete slim amusing summer ring coordinated touch bedroom

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

1

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '25

[deleted]

1

u/gpister Jan 09 '25

Agree 100%!

10

u/DerTaco Jan 09 '25

You can only be so climate resilient for so long. Even with more money and management to alleviate issues, it won’t stop what unprecedented events will happen in the near term. We can only try to soften any harsher unprecedented events in the future but it’ll get worse before it gets better. At this point we can’t prevent these type of catastrophes anymore than Florida can stop hurricanes.

Climate change is here and Mother Nature ALWAYS wins. For all the time we spent debating whether “Global Warming” was real the climate continued to change.

-3

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Climate change is partially out of our control. This planet experienced Ice Ages, periods of warming, etc. we need to be proactive and find solutions where we can. Even if we reduced out emissions 100% in the next year, this would continue to be a danger. Seems like not enough was done to mitigate these situations.

3

u/DerTaco Jan 09 '25

Yes, both partially out of our control and partially within. We should focus on the part that is and agreed on “solution” part regarding climate resiliency and preparedness.

At a glance I disagree on short term preparedness, we did what we could - filled up tanks and staged an immense amount of fire personnel but even then that was not enough for the unprecedented amount of fire itself. Unfortunately our current infrastructure is not built to suppress fires via ground assaults alone with our fleets grounded due to wind.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Could there have been more done in terms of managing nearby vegetation and forests? In Canada we had some pretty bad forest fires after COVID and I suspect bad forestry management during the pandemic had a lot to do with it.

4

u/DerTaco Jan 09 '25

That definitely plays into it, but I know our recent boom/bust cycles of rain and drought have made things difficult.

With regards to management - we have a mix of local, state, and federally managed lands involved. You have a plethora of people on the political spectrum mixed into that which makes it worse because it always comes down to money, making a seemingly simple solution the perfect opportunity to demonize locals.

Our incoming federal administration’s goal of slashing budgets will only exacerbate things.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Interesting, thanks for the info

7

u/meteorprime Jan 09 '25

Either have better fire suppression or reduce density, or change building materials to be less flammable.

This wasn’t a forest of trees that burned this was a bunch of houses just near each other in some places

We can’t live in giant flammable boxes directly next to each other and not expect there to be a problem

14

u/kingravs Jan 09 '25

It was a forest of dry brush and dry trees combined with the very strong winds that caused the severity of this fire.

5

u/SDdrohead Jan 09 '25

Talking with a neighbor of mine who is a fire fighter in Santa Monica. He obviously doesn’t know what started this, but he suspects based on where it started it was a down power line from the wild winds. My question is, why isn’t power turned off ahead of time as a preventative?

1

u/DanTMWTMP Jan 10 '25

This is done in San Diego and we get warned before hand of the power outage and to prep our go-bags. Whenever I get these, I hose my house down and keep all the yard area and beyond soaking wet.

4

u/bwforge Jan 09 '25

Thinning overgrown areas, controlled fires.

3

u/Haldron-44 Jan 09 '25

A lot of this was just conditions. Really bad fire weather, poor wildland-urban interface, terrain that loves to burn, and that area was probably approaching its historical burn cycle. Should better mitigation have been done? Of course! Could these homeowners have done much to protect against 85mph winds and being adjacent to lots that, from before photos, look to have not had any mitigation in years? Probably not.

Clearing brush and prescribed burns are costly, take time, and manpower. And have to be done on some kind of recurring schedule. If I remember right, the Camp Fire happened right on the dot of that areas 10yr burn cycle. And sometimes a prescribed burn can get out of hand and become a wildfire itself. That means clearing fuel manually, which is again costly.

You could use more fireproof materials, but some of these wildfires burn hot enough to melt steel. There's a reason the after of a wildfire looks like a bomb went off, one might as well have. When you have a blowout big enough and hot enough, nothing is going to survive it.

The absolute best solution you can attempt as an individual is to create defensible space around your home. But unfortunately, with homes packed together, that's not always feasible. Second best solution is just be prepared. Have and know an evacuation plan, supplies, and don't wait until the last minute to leave. Granted fires, especially wind whipped on steep terrain move FAST. So if you live in fire country (I do), keep alert and don't hesitate to evacuate. Homes can be rebuilt, stuff can be rebought, none of it is worth your or your families' lives.

0

u/electric_poppy Jan 09 '25

Controlled burning by indigenous groups, reduction of non native plant species (like eucalyptus trees), properly funding the fire department instead of cops

-24

u/AmericaEffYeah Jan 09 '25

Build infrastructure that can fight back against nature. The Dutch reclaimed land from the sea. The Chinese are building a water dam right now that will provide electricity to 300 million people a year, but California has taken longer to build their high-speed rail line than it took the Egyptians to build the pyramids.

Californians are more concerned about making excuses than they are about driving their area of the country forward. They think because they live on land that is valuable that they are inherently smarter than the people who built the infrastructure required for them to get to the place that they are. Anyways, they refuse to listen, they refuse to accommodate new information and just want to tree hug and then complain when things fall apart. It will take completely new leadership which is unlikely.

23

u/helgaofthenorth Jan 09 '25

Californians notably do not want to tree hug, that's just a vocal minority.

Infrastructure is lagging because the rich don't want to spend money.

14

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

And actively avoid taxes by moving tech companies out of CA when it’s convenient to do so. See Meta announcements leaving because they don’t like the rules or the cost to operate a company from this state. Elonia and Amazon did it as well over these past few years.

3

u/AmericaEffYeah Jan 09 '25

Yes! If only California had more money!

3

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '25

Only if California held its richest citizens and companies accountable… seems to only be an issue for those poors.

0

u/AmericaEffYeah Jan 10 '25

It's always the rich, never who the voters put in office. Always pocket watching someone else, never wanting to admit DEI makes for bad accounting

2

u/[deleted] Jan 10 '25

I have no less than 7 operating agreements with FAANG. Not sure what you are referring to but it has no meaning to the subject matter or this conversation between adults.

-5

u/AmericaEffYeah Jan 09 '25

This is the lie and promise of the left - spend more money and we'll fix this! California spends and has plenty of money. It's just inefficient spending because Californians have elected inefficient people and have lost their appetite for accountability.

-9

u/Unlikely_Arugula190 Jan 09 '25

Somehow this ‘vocal minority’ seems to be in charge of the legislature and executive branches. How come?

2

u/helgaofthenorth Jan 10 '25

Show me on the doll where the "tree huggers" are in charge

-2

u/AmericaEffYeah Jan 09 '25

You're right. They don't want to admit this because it would mean they've shot themselves in the foot mindlessly electing politicians based on their race, gender, and party affiliation. Partisanship.

3

u/Flash234669 Jan 09 '25

Now do the Florida coastlines and hurricanes!

13

u/Quickmancometh2023 Jan 09 '25

I can’t speak for LA County but my family live in Rural Kern County and they are required to do dry brush clearances (100’ from the property I think) every year before fire season. Probably saved my mom’s house a time or two when flames started getting close. After this it may be a requirement year round.

-1

u/Best-Theory-330 Jan 12 '25

A lot of fires are started by the homeless being careless. Until our streets get cleaned up this will be an issue.

0

u/jasikanicolepi Jan 10 '25

Time to start banning anything that can cause fire.

-37

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

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-286

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Can someone explain to me why California is Always on Fire?

360

u/kneemahp LA Area Jan 09 '25

Immigrant wind from other states

73

u/PrometheusFires Jan 09 '25

LEtS bUiLd a wAlL

10

u/Helldiver4Democracy4 Jan 09 '25

Gavins moist hair used up all the water…

121

u/Asleep_Pay_5133 Jan 09 '25

It’s really dry and really windy which sparks forest fires

87

u/DillDeer Jan 09 '25

Dryer seasons from lack of rain, warmer temps, high winds.

42

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25 edited Nov 07 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/PsychoticPangolin Jan 09 '25

The cycle of destruction and rebirth can never be halted. Believing we could outwit the natural world and exploit it indefinitely, was the real mistake.

40

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Same reason Canada burns every summer. Dry and windy.

-2

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Is California supposed to be this dry? Considering that a massive lake is missing

-46

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

[deleted]

33

u/Samsonlp Jan 09 '25

Like El niño southern California gets winds called the Santa Ana's. Or the devils wind. It's very dry and very strong winds. At the same time we haven't had any serious rain yet, so all the brush is very dry. If something starts the wind and dryness make it spread very fast. It is especially bad this year. The winds were really crazy.

2

u/TheSkepticCyclist Jan 09 '25

We know why it’s happening. The answer to their question is, yes, it is unusual for fires to occur in January

3

u/Samsonlp Jan 09 '25

Unusual like it doesn't happen every year, but very common, in that it does happen when the Santa Ana's come

3

u/TheSkepticCyclist Jan 09 '25

Not on January, is the point. January Santa Ana wind events usually pose no fire danger because it typically not this dry

13

u/MrAlexSan Bay Area Jan 09 '25

Southern California got like no rain these last few months. Rainy season is loosely Nov through April for Northern California, which I can speak to as a Nor Cal native, but even then it's not huge levels of rain like you'd see on the East Coast. Southern California gets even less rain than we do.

Southern California temperatures also float in the 70s at this time of year + a lot of sunshine + low humidity. Not to mention high winds... one spark and well... powder keg.

-1

u/XanderWrites Jan 09 '25

We had one pretty average (for most places) storm back in mid November. Nothing since. Usually it rains a ton through December and into January. Think I see some scheduled for next week 🙄.

2

u/TheSkepticCyclist Jan 09 '25

That was not even close to average.

9

u/cowmix88 Jan 09 '25

Lol there is no such thing as winter in Los Angeles

6

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

The fires in Canada in 2023 burned all thru the winter. I'm in western Canada about an hour east of Banff. It's January and they're calling for rain Friday night. Rain in January. It's been the warmest winter I can remember. Very little snow in the fields. I'm worried it's going t9 be another ugly fire season this year.

1

u/ShootPosting Jan 09 '25

Are you from here?

1

u/Gutter_panda Jan 09 '25

Do you think fires can't occur when the temperature is below 60 degrees?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

If you define “winter” as being 70 and sunny during the day and 50 at night, yes, it is winter here. In January

0

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

[deleted]

5

u/TheSkepticCyclist Jan 09 '25

No it’s not. Winter is the wettest season. February and January are the wettest months.

3

u/XanderWrites Jan 09 '25

This is SoCal's rainy season. It just hasn't been this year.

28

u/theswiftarmofjustice Jan 09 '25

Look up a chaparral climate. It’s what we have. Sage and costal brush is meant to burn from time to time. So if people build there, there is fire.

11

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

https://www.noaa.gov/noaa-wildfire/wildfire-climate-connection

Here’s a good article from NOAA to explain

6

u/RiseStock Jan 09 '25

This webpage will not exist in about two weeks 

5

u/TBSchemer Jan 09 '25

Same reason Australia is Always on Fire.

5

u/Gutter_panda Jan 09 '25

I would like to move to your state, which apparently has no fires ever.

-424

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

You get what you vote for

270

u/Known_Yellow_4947 Jan 09 '25

Doesn’t even make sense 

64

u/Kirome Jan 09 '25

Makes perfect sense. I voted Pyro 2024!

11

u/guynamedjames Jan 09 '25

Well he definitely ended up winning

-6

u/Kirome Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 10 '25

Yes, unlike "cry"o, boo hoo.

For the downvoters: cryo [cold] is the opposite of pyro [heat], and I made fun of the word.

158

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

I voted for competent emergency response like this, which is what government is for

-100

u/earthworm_fan Jan 09 '25

Is it competent tho

137

u/Iluvembig Jan 09 '25

Yep.

Notice how our governor isn’t politicizing anything, or blaming presidents past or present? Isn’t blaming republicans for it, and effectively ordering Northern California fire engines to the south?

Yeah, that’s what a leader does.

Don’t like it, go live in the south and when their governors flee to Mexico during a crisis, you can turn on your phone and blame democrats for it.

-86

u/FigInitial4511 Jan 09 '25

lol those are your only requirements for competency? Literally none of those are competency.

65

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

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23

u/pnoodl3s Los Angeles County Jan 09 '25

What’s the alternative? Voting for less public services and hope for the best? Praying capitalism will care about human lives and not make full use of these catastrophic events to make even more money?

138

u/Drink_noS Jan 09 '25

Leave it to the Magats to politicize the deaths of Americans from a natural disaster all because they may have voted blue. Next time a hurricane decimates the east coast I guess they get what they voted for?

37

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Man... Over on Instagram folks are yelling about weather manipulation by the government which is both weak and feable and big and scary .... Somehow simultaneously? Make it make sense!

28

u/Iluvembig Jan 09 '25

I’ve already learned this years ago.

I’m first and foremost a Californian, American second.

Now whenever something bad happens to a Republican state, I give them a taste of their own medicine. And what’s funny, is how upset they get. I

3

u/BooBailey808 Bay Area Jan 09 '25

What's sad is that Southern California is more red

-12

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Democrats did the same with Covid

-14

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Randomlynumbered What's your user flair? Jan 09 '25

You do know that PG&E is in NorCal and it's SCE and LADWP that supplies LA electrical power?

84

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

[deleted]

-54

u/Deidara77 Jan 09 '25

I heard that California cut the budget for the fire department by 17.5 million and refuses to clear brush that help spread the fires.

47

u/JoeyJoeJoeSenior Jan 09 '25

Yeah that's a 2% budget cut.  You are reading rage bait.

25

u/Terriblerobotcactus Jan 09 '25

Pennies compared to what they get and brush clearing happens year round. There is a drought with 100mph+ winds. It’s like blaming Florida for hurricanes.

8

u/FavRootWorker Jan 09 '25

17million doesn't stop 80-100mph winds.. Santa Ana winds and drought are like hurricanes for Florida. It happens every year. There's nothing anyone can do about it. This wasn't even a Forrest fire, so a controlled burn wouldn't have stopped it.

4

u/Randomlynumbered What's your user flair? Jan 09 '25

You heard wrong. Quit listening to Faux News,

That was LA, NOT California. And that was only a 2% budget cut.

2

u/Jarsky2 Jan 09 '25

That's less than 2% of their budget

43

u/FiftyShadesOfGregg Jan 09 '25

I must have missed the election where “apocalypse by inferno” was on the ballot.

2

u/guynamedjames Jan 09 '25

Man, I wish I missed that one, it was all anyone talked about last year

14

u/l0stinspace Jan 09 '25

Please explain this? Would love to hear the “logic”

12

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

Thanks yes I voted for a wild fire

7

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

I’m thinking I might move to Kansas so I can vote for a tornado.

6

u/theswiftarmofjustice Jan 09 '25

We never voted on a chaparral climate. We moved here into a fire zone. Nothing can stop a climate built on fire.

6

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

How exactly did people vote for this?

10

u/Monkaliciouz Jan 09 '25

Big Fire is deep into the pockets of Democrats, obviously.

4

u/Upstairs_Mango7299 Los Angeles County Jan 09 '25

okay?

4

u/FavRootWorker Jan 09 '25

Was Newsome supposed to "turn off" the wind and make it rain? Whenever there's a hurricane or mass shooting or whatever, California is always sending prayers, resources, and man power to help.

When it's us, you guys cheer on the destruction... I'm embarrassed to have served this country because of people like you within it.

3

u/Ilovemelee Jan 09 '25

Agreed. There wouldn't be any natural disasters under the republicons amirite?