California fires may be among 'costliest natural disasters in US history'; causes still under investigation
The wildfires in Los Angeles County continue to rage, with the death toll from the two most severe blazes - Palisades and Eaton - rising to 24 as of press time, with some local media predicting the wildfires among "the costliest natural disasters in US history."
Nearly 33,000 homes and businesses across Los Angeles County remained without power on Sunday night, Forbes reported, citing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The department said its crews were "assessing the fire-affected areas" and power restoration work will begin after the assessments are completed, Forbes reported.
The raging wildfires across Los Angeles are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history, AP reported, citing a private meteorological firm.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at $225 billion to $250 billion, the AP report said.
The wildfires have forced a host of TV productions to temporarily stop filming. More than a dozen LA-based shows, ranging from Grey's Anatomy to The Price Is Right, have paused production, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will take the lead in investigating the exact cause of the multiple fires, according to Fox 11.
As officials try to determine the cause of a wildfire that has burned an estimated 7,000 structures in and around Altadena, investigators keep returning to one place: an electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon, according to LA Times.
Meanwhile, utilities are required to report to the California Public Utilities Commission when they know of "electric incidents potentially associated with a wildfire." On Friday, Southern California Edison filed a report related to the Eaton Fire in the hills near Pasadena, an area the utility serves, the FOX 11 report said.
John Abatzoglou, a professor of Climatology at the University of California, told the Global Times on Monday via email that there are many other places globally that burn with more regularity than California, but the fires in the state have certainly been noteworthy for their intensity, size, and impacts.
Abatzoglou believed the specific causes for this year's wildfires "are still unknown right now, but are all human-caused fires," without further elaboration.
"California has the perfect climate for fires," he said, explaining that typically 6-9 months of rain-free conditions during the warm season contribute to long curing periods for vegetation to become receptive to igniting and carrying fire. The large year-to-year variability in precipitation allow for abundant grass and shrubs to flourish during the good years and become fuel during dry times, he said.
Topography that favors mountain fire weather features like downslope Santa Ana winds that bring fire from the wildlands downhill into communities, and plenty of ignitions given the population, he said.
California accounts for about 15 percent of all burned area in the contiguous US, but 75 percent of direct population exposure to wildfire, which results in "people living with a fire footprint," Abatzoglou added.
Wang Hongwei, a professor from the Renmin University of China's school of public administration and policy, who frequently took part in emergency response events in China, told the Global Times that from his point of view, local weak disaster relief efforts, such as the shortage of firefighters in the initial phase of rescue and fire hydrants that ran dry, also fuel such large-scale fires in California.