Los Angeles wildfires were larger and more intense due to planet-warming pollution, scientists report

[Deeq A.]

The recent wildfires in Los Angeles have burned hotter and larger than they would have without human-induced pollution, suggests a new analysis from the University of California, Los Angeles.

The study attributes 25% of the available fuel for these fires to climate change, acknowledging that while the fires would have occurred regardless, they would have been “somewhat smaller and less intense.”

The result raises the question of whether the fires would have been more manageable without the exacerbating effects of climate change.

Twelve fires ignited across the region since January 7, when a rare Santa Ana wind event blew across the region. Over 60 square miles have been scorched and more than 12,000 structures, including homes and businesses, have been lost. The Eaton and Palisades fires now rank as the most destructive in Southern California’s history.

Several climate-related factors have heightened this fire fuel, including unusually wet winters, unseasonably warm summer and fall temperatures and a delayed rainy season. The last two winters brought double the average rainfall to downtown Los Angeles, promoting an overgrowth of grasses and shrubs, which later dried out in the heat.

The phenomenon of “weather whiplash” — rapid shifts between wet and dry conditions — has intensified, further exacerbating wildfire risks. Between May 2024 and January 2025, Los Angeles recorded only 0.29 inches of rain, marking one of the driest spans on record.

With forecasts predicting below-normal rainfall in the coming months, the region remains on high alert as it grapples with the harsh realities of a warming planet.

CNN

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