Thursday, January 9

The city of Los Angeles is in trouble as wildfires rage across the area, scorching thousands of buildings and forcing tens of thousands of evacuations.

The fires have already burned a total of 27,000 acres and destroyed over 2,000 structures in some of the richest areas of Los Angeles, including the town of Malibu and the neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. The causes of the fires are currently unknown, but strong winds are helping to spread the embers around the Los Angeles area, increasing the danger of additional fires.

The Palisades Fire is the largest of the fires, burning around 17,200 acres in the Malibu area. Evacuation orders are in place for one of the richest neighborhoods in the world, with the average house selling at a price of between three to five million dollars. The Palisades Fire alone has already destroyed over 1,000 structures and is the worst wildfire to ever hit Los Angeles.

Nearby, the quickly-growing Sunset Fire is burning in the famous Hollywood Hills, home to famous landmarks such as the Hollywood Sign and Sunset Boulevard.

Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire has scorched over 10,000 acres on the northern side of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Mountains, and it has done some of the most damage to structures. The Eaton Fire is located just north of the town of Pasadena, and it has already penetrated deep into the city. The Eaton Fire has also destroyed over 1,000 structures, and it is already the second-worst wildfire to ever hit LA.

The Hurst and Lidia Fires are smaller fires located farther north from LA-- the Hurst Fire is just south of the town of Santa Clarita while the Lidia Fire is located in the mountains between Santa Clarita and Palmdale. Unfortunately, the Hurst Fire is also doing a great deal of damage, as it is currently spreading in a heavily populated area.

Meanwhile, other fires continue to pop up across the city before being quickly extinguished, including one that began in the neighborhood of Studio City and destroyed multiple structures.

Power has been shut down to a large portion of Los Angeles to avoid power lines from falling and starting new fires, and power companies have confirmed that they will not be restarting the power in those areas for several days.

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place across several regions of Los Angeles, and thick smoke has enveloped the city as ominous scenes of fire and destruction occur just miles away. Firefighters have been rushing to the scene, but five of the six fires are still 0% contained. California Governor Gavin Newsom stated on X last night that over 7,500 personnel were fighting the fires, equipped with 1,162 fire trucks, 23 water tankers, 6 air tankers, 31 helicopters, and 53 bulldozers. He has also confirmed that up to 140 more water tankers will be on the way, as fire hydrants have been running dry.

Sadly, the fires are still spreading uncontrollably. Santa Ana winds, a wind pattern where dry winds from the Mojave Desert sweep across Los Angeles, have been accelerating the growth of the fires, as gusts are hitting up to 80-90 mph. Unfortunately, the conditions are not expected to improve in the coming days, and a red flag warning for high fire danger will stay in place across Southern California. In addition to this, the LA area has faced dry conditions for months amid a large drought-- California is only getting drier as global warming progresses. This has limited the water supply of firefighters, preventing personnel from being able to fight the fires as they usually would.

Fact of the Day: Most dolphins are right-handed, like humans-- they tend to primarily use the right sides of their bodies when searching for food.

Quote of the Day: You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over. (Richard Branson)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Gelid (adj, JELL-id) - Something described as gelid, such as the weather or a person’s demeanor, is literally or figuratively extremely cold or icy.

In a Sentence: She decided to move down south after experiencing Chicago’s gelid winters throughout college.