LA Wildfires

Slight change of discussion here -but watching the news at 6 on BBC I couldn't help wondering why on earth has Clive Myrie been flown out to report ?The BBC has some perfectly good correspondents out there already.I never understand why they go to the expense of sending the big 'names ' out to disaster or war zones.Especially ironic with all the talk of climate change and the link to these horrendous fires.Or is it me ?

Who is arguing? I am simply correcting misinformation that is spreading far and wide. Some of this misinformation is dangerous. Like spreading the lie that the Mayor turned off the water or stopped homeowners from cutting down trees and bushes.

It could very well turn out this was caused by an arsonist. But it is not fact and shouldn't be presented as such.

Washerwoman, I am thankful for the Guardian and BBC in the US right now because their news has shown to be the least biased! It does seem strange though to send out someone when people there can easily do the job.

This reminds me, Have you all heard of Jim Cantore? He works for The Weather Channel and goes out to every major storm/hurricane in the US. We have a joke in the US that if Jim Cantore shows up, you know it is going to be bad. Full communities see him coming and wish he would go away, in a good natured way because obviously they cant stop a storm or disaster from happening. But hey always send him even when others can do the same job.

Washerwoman ‘Award reporting’ comes to mind.. this disaster is absolutely devastating to so many … and ongoing..
maybe I’m being a bit too biased as he does have a good tone of voice

BlessedArt

The obsession with criticising Harry and Meghan on this says more about the people doing it than it says about them, and absolutely nothing good. Thousands of people, celebs or not, are getting involved in volunteering. Obsessing over cameras in Hollywood capturing it is like obsessing over swimmers getting wet at the beach. It’s weird. Funny, I was in the states last month. The only vitriol you see in US media toward comes from mostlyMurdoch-linked, almost always right wing tabloids. Hardly reputable and hardly in lock-step with general sentiment (which seems at worst indifferent). People here make me chuckle.

Your comments are in line with my feelings…Cali has always had a very media celebrity oriented culture… so photographers are very commonplace
Some of my families friends think ‘we the Brits are very quaint’ no harm in saying this
Also someone mentioned about M&Harry driving 70 miles…(do we actually know they did or fly down.) this is a short trip for Americans..they drive hundreds of miles to get to places where we ‘Brits’ wouldn’t probably consider a drive that long…am sure someone will disagree on here

imaround

Who is arguing? I am simply correcting misinformation that is spreading far and wide. Some of this misinformation is dangerous. Like spreading the lie that the Mayor turned off the water or stopped homeowners from cutting down trees and bushes.

It could very well turn out this was caused by an arsonist. But it is not fact and shouldn't be presented as such.

Today there are reports of groups of citizens to sue an electrical company for starting one of the fires!

At any rate, the current most difficult factor is the predicted very high winds today 70mph that will keep the helicopters off the ground again. Last week they were 100mph.

4 fires are ongoing. Maps and news

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cew52g8r8e7t

Less political shenanigans fortunately.

Seems disingenuous to blame uncleared brush or ineffective government for lack of water.

This row of multi million dollar homes, on the seaside, with a road behind thus no vegetation, all burned to the ground.

Apparently it’s the norm to have a lockbox in Cali, . am told by sis in law they have a one at the door containing passports/ certificates and other important documents should there be a time when they have to leave suddenly - used in the past when earthquakes erupted on a nearby highway and safety measures
were imposed-and just last week when they received a text to evacuate along with 10 million others- sent in error to them
… I really hope and pray for their safety and others if the Santa Ana winds also known as Devil winds, come their way 🙏

Norah

Seems disingenuous to blame uncleared brush or ineffective government for lack of water.

This row of multi million dollar homes, on the seaside, with a road behind thus no vegetation, all burned to the ground.

On the news today firemen were in a long row, sweeping unclear brush away from the area of a new fire.

Of course clearing brush matters.

Every child who has ever been a Boy Scout or Girl Guide learns how to light a camp fire with kindling.
It flares up quickly then the flames move upwards and outwards.

Norah

Seems disingenuous to blame uncleared brush or ineffective government for lack of water.

This row of multi million dollar homes, on the seaside, with a road behind thus no vegetation, all burned to the ground.

Really disturbing to see that although close to the ocean, these properties couldn’t be saved 😢

The buildings were presumably constructed of wood? Bea65 A contact in insurance suggests that the wooden structures did not stand a chance…. And also that rebuilding costs will be paid out and not the value of the destroyed houses. So 300000 dollars and not 30 million. Interesting.

Allira

Norah

Seems disingenuous to blame uncleared brush or ineffective government for lack of water.

This row of multi million dollar homes, on the seaside, with a road behind thus no vegetation, all burned to the ground.

On the news today firemen were in a long row, sweeping unclear brush away from the area of a new fire.

Of course clearing brush matters.

Every child who has ever been a Boy Scout or Girl Guide learns how to light a camp fire with kindling.
It flares up quickly then the flames move upwards and outwards.

Of course brush removal matters. But brush removal or lack thereof was used to score political points, when in fact there are and were many neighborhoods with no excess brush or vegetation, that was my point.

ronib

The buildings were presumably constructed of wood? Bea65 A contact in insurance suggests that the wooden structures did not stand a chance…. And also that rebuilding costs will be paid out and not the value of the destroyed houses. So 300000 dollars and not 30 million. Interesting.

A lot were timber-framed, I understand.

Allira yes lots of the houses at least in Anaheim area are haciendas built of wood and thatch based with stone and terracotta tiled roof - inside beautiful tile work.. I really like them and really cool for the high temps but against a fire..and without fire hydrants working correctly..

☹

I think there are 5 fires actually Wyllow

www.ocregister.com/2025/01/08/map-see-where-the-eaton-hurst-and-palisades-fires-are-burning-in-southern-california/

I know this is an Orange County paper but it's at least local and updates.

The link went live on the 8th but is updating.

This is actually from the CA government and is interactive. Ypu can add and remove layers of the map.

www.fire.ca.gov/incidents

greasy Newson could not stop smiling when he was being interviewed, showing giddy excitement via his body language. The speculators are already trying to cheaply buy burnt out plots for future development

You have to wonder why so much fire prevention was left undone

Residents who have nothing left have to pay off mortgages, without help and with accruing interest. In many cases Insurance companies have not renewed insurances

There is still huge property tax to pay on the derelict land that is left

Pity help the ordinary people

Has it not occurred his body language was not "happy" but wound up/anxious? From one clip? This title "greasy", btw, is actually straight from the right wing news channel Fox News.

There is a huge disinformation row because of Musk and other posting false claims, politicising what you rightly call a huge tragedy for ordinary people.

The fire systems in California were adequate for anything they had known before. Yes they could have been better, easy to say after the event when we don't know the competing priorities on state funding.

It was hardly Newsrooms fault that in the first week 100mph winds prevented helicopters and other air support for fire fighting or the fires to rage at the speed they did.

Can anyone actually regulate buying up land as speculation in the USA The state? the federal government? I doubt it.

Can't the Trump incoming administration get over itself and work with local states when there are overwhelming emergencies?

The government managed support in North Carolina (because an election was coming up in a swing state )when the hurricane came.
There, too, were inadequacies in outdated systems:
The systems used to understand flood risk and water movement were outdated and ill-prepared for more severe storms and there were gaps in flood protections. There will be more in different states.

It does seem in general that because of climate change there are likely to continue to be events that are beyond what is currently in place. But as long as climate change is denied...

typo: Newsom, not newsroom, above. As for Musk coming out and blaming the response to the fires on the fact that the Fire chief is a woman, words fail.

Wyllow3

Has it not occurred his body language was not "happy" but wound up/anxious? From one clip? This title "greasy", btw, is actually straight from the right wing news channel Fox News.

There is a huge disinformation row because of Musk and other posting false claims, politicising what you rightly call a huge tragedy for ordinary people.

The fire systems in California were adequate for anything they had known before. Yes they could have been better, easy to say after the event when we don't know the competing priorities on state funding.

It was hardly Newsrooms fault that in the first week 100mph winds prevented helicopters and other air support for fire fighting or the fires to rage at the speed they did.

Can anyone actually regulate buying up land as speculation in the USA The state? the federal government? I doubt it.

Can't the Trump incoming administration get over itself and work with local states when there are overwhelming emergencies?

The government managed support in North Carolina (because an election was coming up in a swing state )when the hurricane came.
There, too, were inadequacies in outdated systems:
The systems used to understand flood risk and water movement were outdated and ill-prepared for more severe storms and there were gaps in flood protections. There will be more in different states.

It does seem in general that because of climate change there are likely to continue to be events that are beyond what is currently in place. But as long as climate change is denied...

great post Wyllow.. a voice of reason

The right will blame anyone and anything other than the oil barons who are ultimately responsible for this devastion of planet and peoples lives

It's not Newson who's laying down conditions for support though is it?!!

x.com/GavinNewsom/status/1879399523459748169?t=6kLOFqRrFbIxZb2WJzKHHA&s=19

"The speculators are already trying to cheaply buy burnt out plots for future development"

Oh look "Greasy" Newsom is actually doing his job and protecting the homeowners from speculators.

www.gov.ca.gov/2025/01/14/governor-newsom-issues-order-to-protect-fire-victims-from-predatory-real-estate-speculators/