What Caused the Fires in California?

Tipping Point | The Hindu spoke to Chad Hanson, a California-based research ecologist from the John Muir Project, to understand the causes behind California wildfires, dispel the rumours, and discuss the way forward.

Read More

Lawsuit Aims to Stop Largest-Ever Fire Prevention Project

Action News Now

Josh Hart, a spokesman for Feather River Action explained the group’s concerns. The lawsuit plaintiffs are environmental groups including Feather River Action, Plumas Forest Project, and John Muir Project. Hart said his group refers to the plan as the forest devastation project. “What the forest service is proposing is only going to make the situation worse,” Hart said.

Read More

Expert Criticizes US Response, Policy Failures for CA Wildfires

Bastille Post Global

Chad Hanson, a forest ecologist with the John Muir Project, has blamed extreme weather conditions, outdated wildfire policies, and inadequate community preparedness for the devastation caused by California’s recent wildfires, urging a shift toward more effective prevention measures. Hanson identified the combination of dry weather, powerful Santa Ana winds, and low humidity as the primary drivers of the fires, explaining that these conditions overwhelmed firefighting efforts and shifted the focus to evacuations.

Read More

Donald Trump Blames Gavin Newsom for Wildfires

Al Arabiya News | The wildfire in Palisades is said to have burned 17,000 acres of land as the dangerous embers reached the Hollywood hills area late last night. Donald Trump has also used this opportunity to publicly criticize the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, blaming his leadership as a reason for the mishandling of the fire.

Read More

Race to Contain L.A. Fires Intensifies as Winds Strengthen

CNN | Dr. Chad Hanson points out the urgent need to create fire-safe communities in the midst of ongoing Southern California shrubland fires. He also mentions the lack of evidence that this event was exacerbated due to a lack of water – the fire hydrant infrastructure is not designed to address a situation where you have several hundred homes, simultaneously, engaged in flames.

Read More

Isa Soares Tonight with Chad Hanson

CNN, Isa Soares Tonight | What we’re missing in the conversation right now is community protection, on creating fire safe communities; it will save thousands of homes and many lives – home hardening, defensible space, and evacuation planning & assistance.

Read More

At Least Five Fires Now in Los Angeles

BBC

Hanson says the “devastation is kind of hard to get your mind around. Five people have been killed – it could have been hundreds.” Since first responders realised that conditions would prevent them from containing the fires, they focussed their efforts on evacuating residents instead. “They did an extraordinary job.”

Read More