Decoding California fires: ‘Devil’ Santa Ana winds, climate change, human-hand and politics 

It has been three days, and the threat from the cataclysmic wildfires ravaging multiple parts of Los Angeles in California—the most populous state in the US—is not yet over.

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According to the latest reports, at least 11 people have died, and more than 10,000 structures, including homes, have been damaged or destroyed in the fires that started around Tuesday.

Fueled by high Santa Ana winds as fires continue to rapidly spread, nearly 180,000 residents in different neighborhoods of Los Angeles city have been asked to evacuate, according to reports.

More than 45 square miles (116 square kilometers) have been consumed by the destructive fires, being called “the costliest wildfire disaster in American history.”

Danger ‘not yet over’

With forecasts predicting the return of Santa Ana winds, officials are urging “more residents to comply with evacuation orders.”

The air quality is deteriorating. More than 90,000 homes and businesses reportedly remained without power on Friday morning in LA.

Embers are traveling, making containment efforts even more difficult. Worsening the situation are California’s strained water systems/resources. Meanwhile, there have also been cases of looting in affected areas, according to reports.

Fiery politics

Apart from destruction and misery, the fires also generated fiery politics with President-elect Donald Trump using the opportunity to lash out at California Governor Gavin Newsom, his well-known bête noire.

Claiming that he would have done a better job in managing the crisis, Trump also blamed his political adversary's forest management policies for the crisis and asked him to resign. Trump and Newsom have been rivals on issues, including fire prevention, environment and climate change policies, and immigration. Newsom retorted saying that “one can’t even respond” to Trump’s attacks at a time like this.

“People are literally fleeing, people have lost their lives, kids lost their schools, families completely torn asunder, churches burned down, this guy wanted to politicise it,” he was quoted as saying by a TV channel. Observers say politically for Trump California is a perfect target given its preference for Vice President Kamala Harris in last year's elections. His supporters call California “a perfect example of self-defeating environmental policies by liberal governance in blue states and cities, encouraging chaos, crime, and misery.”

Wildfires—climate change

Politics apart, the LA fires are also an example of climate change, which Trump refers to as a “hoax.” Last year, he sparked another controversy by declaring climate change as “one of the great scams” after Hurricane Helene’s destruction across the southeast US. According to reports, wildfires in California are not an “uncommon phenomenon.”

The state has always been vulnerable to wildfires because of dry weather conditions in summers. The problem, however, is that they are becoming more frequent now. The wildfire season is also getting longer due to increasing drought and heat because of climate change, say environmentalists. This time of the year is also not the usual wildfire season in California.

The state normally witnesses wildfires in the period between May/June and October, which are dry months. However, this period has been expanding on the back of rising temperatures and delayed rains. Climate change apart, the fact is that a human hand also cannot be ruled out in such fires. A large number of wildfires in the US are human-induced and often related to unattended campfires and equipment malfunctions, as per reports.

Santa Ana winds—‘devil winds’

Whether human-induced or otherwise, Santa Ana winds and dry weather are keeping the wildfires raging in the region. The “unusually strong” Santa Ana winds (also called “devil winds”) are bringing dry desert air, fanning flames. According to reports, “unusual low-pressure system over northwest Mexico led to extreme winds, and without improved weather conditions, the situation could worsen.” Santa Ana winds are strong, extremely dry katabatic winds that originate inland and affect coastal southern California and northern Baja California. A katabatic wind is a down-slope wind caused by the flow of an elevated, high-density air mass into a lower-density air mass below under the force of gravity. Santa Ana winds are known for bringing hot, dry weather in autumn but are also known to strike on other times of the year. The Palisades fire is now the most destructive in LA history. If dry winds and low humidity persist, wildfires may continue.