The Los Angeles Wildfires: An In-Depth Review

Dear Vikings, as many of you know, California has been on fire. Since January 8, 2025, Southern California grappled with unprecedented wildfires, particularly in the Los Angeles area. The largest fire, the Palisades Fire, expanded very rapidly to over 23,713 acres, making it the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history. The situation’s urgency had increased by powerful Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching up to 80 miles per hour, which intensified the fires and hindered firefighting efforts. Fire California shows an image overlay estimating a total of 5,000 structures damaged or destroyed. Governor Newsom’s form of actions includes deploying 16,000+ personnel including firefighters, California National Guard service members, highway patrol officers, and transportation teams. 

Politically, there have been many turmoil from President-Elect Trump’s remarks on Governor Newsom’s handling of the wildfires. Specifically, the then President-Elect (now President), called Newsom a “scum” for preventing the Water Restoration Declaration Act a few years back, which would provide an influx of freshwater to flow into Southern California at the cost of the Delta smelt fish population. In addition, Mayor Karen Bass has also received criticism for residing in Ghana for the first few days of the crisis, which many of the public stories claimed that the mayor’s lack of appearance signaled a lack of “urgency” from the wider government. Bass has also received criticism for approving a 17.6-million-dollar reduction act for the LAFD, which impaired the department’s ability to effectively counteract emergency-scaled wildfires such as the Palisades and Altadena fires. All in all, the government has been cleaning up the situation, but has received major pressure and backlash from the general public over the past few weeks. 

As of January 20st, the Palisades Fires has slowly died down, and the fire department has been able to achieve a 63% containment rate within the area, allowing nearby business and universities such as UCLA to resume classes back to in-person learning. Unfortunately, there have also been 10 total fatalities and notable losses for the Palisades High School and Will Rogers Estate, which were once prominent structures residing in the unrecognizable Palisade Community. 

For those looking to assist, donations can be made to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund. As the community confronts this disaster, the resilience and solidarity of Southern Californians continue to be a beacon of hope amid the devastation. During these times, it’s important to stay considerate and hopeful. Simple ways to help are to check in with a neighbor that may be affected or donating to organizations that focus on helping victims of this fire. Another way to help is volunteering at drives. Some organizations like California Fire Foundation, Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Westside Food Bank are a few in need of support. I hope everyone is staying safe and hopeful during these dark times.