“These Are the Winds That Turn Wildfires Deadly in L.A.” Article Reflection No. 125 (2/1/2025)

Article: “These Are the Winds That Turn Wildfires Deadly in L.A.”

In the article “These Are the Winds That Turn Wildfires Deadly in L.A.,” journalists Zach Levitt and Raymond Zhong discuss the significant role of Santa Ana winds in the LA fires, emphasizing on how, even compared to other factors like geographic distance to fire-vulnerable brushes, the winds are an even more key factor. The article discusses the current status quo in wind prediction, noting that Santa Ana winds are predicted to be strongest in colder months. With the LA fires, the article brings readers’ attention to the sources of fire and how they can be mitigated, in frequency and intensity, for the future. A map in the article shows consistency in the regions that were burned over the past century, with the Eaton, Hughes, and Palisades fires nearby historically burned areas. As the article proceeds, it also notes that small changes in the wind can drastically change its impact on potential wildfires. 

When these natural disasters occur, they bring into more discussion about how communities can learn and implement changes that will, in this case, mitigate the chances of these fires happening again. But as the article states, if these winds are a repetitive pattern, and prone to getting even stronger, then who knows what kind of changes one must make? How far in advance do we need to plan? 

Honestly this is such a complex question, because it would be so difficult to even anticipate the breadth of anything that can happen within the next decades. In a world where we don’t even know what’s going to happen in 24 hours, how can we fully anticipate and brace for what may happen in 30 years? But the good thing is that these are true learning experiences. It’s heartbreaking that public discussion about these kinds of events increase in frequency and depth after these disasters, but I think that’s just part of human nature. Greater impacts bring greater attention. I can only hope that these experiences will inspire people from different groups—people who were previously unwilling to collaborate with each other—to collaborate and share ideas, then come up with an action plan in order to support communities.