As 2025 began, our screens were full of images showing intense fires ravaging some of the wealthiest suburbs of Los Angeles. The fires spread quickly, destroying whole neighbourhoods, many of them places where very wealthy people lived in large houses with gardens and swimming pools. Although California has frequent wildfires in the summer it is unusual for fires of this size and intensity to develop in the winter months.
The fires started on open land on the edge of the city and the flames quickly took hold, fuelled by the tinder dry vegetation, and then spread because of the incredibly strong winds. Many months without rain and unusually high temperatures had left the vegetation particularly dry. In California rain usually falls between October and March, however in 2024 there was virtually no rainfall in the autumn. Once started, the fires spread rapidly, fanned by the hot, dry Santa Ana winds which were blowing at speeds up to 160 km/h. These dry winds blow from the land towards the sea and are common in California at this time of year. Their strength was a significant factor in spreading the fires and turning them into blazing infernos.
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