Two of the fires raging in the Los Angeles area are now among the 5 most destructive in California state history, according to preliminary data from CalFire.
The Palisades Fire has destroyed more than 5,300 structures, the third-most in state history. The Eaton Fire has destroyed 4,000-plus structures, the fourth-most in state history. These figures could climb as more damage assessments are completed by officials.
Fifteen out of the 20 most destructive fires in state history have now occurred since 2015 as a world warming due to fossil fuel pollution more frequently creates larger and more severe fires in the Southwestern US.
The two fires are also the only ones out of the 20 most destructive in state history to have happened in January – a development possible because of an extreme swing from wet to dry conditions over the last two winters that first buoyed vegetation growth and then dried it all out, turning it to tinder. This so-called weather whiplash is also becoming more frequent due to climate change, scientists have found.
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