The California fires are truly tragic. Scientists are making it clear that the reason these fires have been so intense is the deadly combination of hurricane force winds (up to 100 mph) and extreme drought (.01 inches of rain since the beginning of October, when the norm would be 4.5 or 5 inches).

These can be directly linked to climate change caused in large part by the burning of fossil fuels. We must hold fossil fuel companies responsible for the deaths and destruction. But wait — it could get even worse. After previous large fires that affected tens of thousands of people, there followed massive rainfall in a short period of time, which led to horrible mudslides, which killed many people.

If the Los Angeles area has extreme rainfall in February and March, deadly mudslides will descend these burned-out hills, because there is no vegetation left and no roots to hold back the mud. Understanding this is critical as the victims of the fires consider whether it makes sense to rebuild more resilient homes or whether the risk is simply too great in some areas. For further explanation, see democracynow.org/2025/1/13/la_fires_climate_policy.

Ferd Wulkan

Montague