Palisades Fire - Los Angeles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn’t the wind in Europe result in massive wild fires?

You’re not so bright are you?

NP

Why do you have to be such an a-hole? Do you think it’s helpful?


Her question is a legitimate one. I’d bet a lot of people wonder the same thing.

Maybe because most of Europe isn’t a frickin desert?

27 square miles burned. Horrific. So terrible that nothing could be done to prevent this disaster or facilitate evacuation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switching gears (and not sure if this was covered in the previous 30 pages). But I don’t understand the folks all over the Internet who stayed behind with their house to “save it” until the very last minute. I absolutely understand the impulse to protect your home, particularly if it’s uninsured. But what do people think they are going to use within their household to fight this massive fire? It feels like a foolish attempt that will cause them to be left behind and require a rescue that endangers EMS personnel.

There was a video of a man with his dog in his home looking out a flames feet from his home on multiple sides telling his dog it was going to be ok. I don't think it was going to be OK and I wonder what happened to him and the dog.

Exactly. Is this just a panic response? Acknowledgment that there’s nowhere else to go and so they give up? A fire engulfing a city is not going to spare your home because you use water from the bathtub or wet towels. I absolutely don’t understand this. There are a couple knuckleheads on CNN this morning who filmed themselves trying to “fight the fire“ from their home before they bailed. They were cracking jokes in the interview and it really seemed like they were trying to create some Internet fame from the event. The whole thing was weird and distasteful.

But people aren't logical they are emotional and 95% of people have 0 common sense. That's why people don't leave when they should evacuate from any natural disaster, be it wildfires, hurricanes, etc. A lot of times I think it stems from fear but also a lot of people just don't know what to do when they are in a situation requiring quick thinking - they can't make decisions in crisis mode. I'm not kidding. A lot of people are not built to handle new situations. It's just how some people are wired - they don't do anything because they don't know what to do. Even if you tell them what to do, they freeze up and can't do anything. I don't know really how to explain it but to say that it's not shocking or surprising to me someone is acting like this. Statistically, a lot of people are like this.

This is the video I saw. It's terrifying https://www.tmz.com/2025/01/08/people-and-dog-stuck-in-home-during-pacific-palisades-fire/
If people don't realize what happens if you don't evacuate, now they know. I hope they are ok but it looks bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when the right is politicizing this and claiming that the Dems in charge cut the LAFD budget...they are lying.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/08/wildfire-threatens-karen-bass-extended-honeymoon-00197228

Bass also took heat from far-left activists online, who accused the mayor of cutting the fire department’s budget in order to pay for a costly new contract with the city’s police. Also weighing in against her was Patrick Soon-Shiong, the politically idiosyncratic owner of the Los Angeles Times, who echoed the attack, posting on X that “the Mayor cut LA Fire Department’s budget by $23M.”

That assertion is wrong. The city was in the process of negotiating a new contract with the fire department at the time the budget was being crafted, so additional funding for the department was set aside in a separate fund until that deal was finalized in November. In fact, the city’s fire budget increased more than $50 million year-over-year compared to the last budget cycle, according to Blumenfield’s office, although overall concerns about the department’s staffing level have persisted for a number of years.

Of course. Republicans are liars.

Karen Bass is not going to come out of this smelling of roses. She left LA to go to a random inauguration in Ghana when the fire risks were already emerging. This is not what a smart city leader does. There will be a lot of fingers pointed by everyone at each other, which is human nature and understandable in its own way as we want to think if only XYZ was done therefore everything would be perfect. This was a natural disaster made worse by substantial human settlement in a high risk area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, do you know how many schools, churches, other places of worship are gone now? Just bc children are rich it doesn’t mean that their world isn’t traumatically affected when they lose all familiarity. They will all have to move so they can get an education while the rebuilding is occurring. How about all the job loss associated with these places burning down? Do you pay teachers who don’t have a physical school? The amount of logistics associated with this is overwhelming!

+1 yes...unbelievable disaster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switching gears (and not sure if this was covered in the previous 30 pages). But I don’t understand the folks all over the Internet who stayed behind with their house to “save it” until the very last minute. I absolutely understand the impulse to protect your home, particularly if it’s uninsured. But what do people think they are going to use within their household to fight this massive fire? It feels like a foolish attempt that will cause them to be left behind and require a rescue that endangers EMS personnel.

There was a video of a man with his dog in his home looking out a flames feet from his home on multiple sides telling his dog it was going to be ok. I don't think it was going to be OK and I wonder what happened to him and the dog.

Exactly. Is this just a panic response? Acknowledgment that there’s nowhere else to go and so they give up? A fire engulfing a city is not going to spare your home because you use water from the bathtub or wet towels. I absolutely don’t understand this. There are a couple knuckleheads on CNN this morning who filmed themselves trying to “fight the fire“ from their home before they bailed. They were cracking jokes in the interview and it really seemed like they were trying to create some Internet fame from the event. The whole thing was weird and distasteful.

But people aren't logical they are emotional and 95% of people have 0 common sense. That's why people don't leave when they should evacuate from any natural disaster, be it wildfires, hurricanes, etc. A lot of times I think it stems from fear but also a lot of people just don't know what to do when they are in a situation requiring quick thinking - they can't make decisions in crisis mode. I'm not kidding. A lot of people are not built to handle new situations. It's just how some people are wired - they don't do anything because they don't know what to do. Even if you tell them what to do, they freeze up and can't do anything. I don't know really how to explain it but to say that it's not shocking or surprising to me someone is acting like this. Statistically, a lot of people are like this.

This is the video I saw. It's terrifying https://www.tmz.com/2025/01/08/people-and-dog-stuck-in-home-during-pacific-palisades-fire/
If people don't realize what happens if you don't evacuate, now they know. I hope they are ok but it looks bad.

No deaths have been recorded in Pacific Palisades, this video was circulating for a while so I imagine we'd know by now if they had died. It is a terrifying video but pretty sure they dashed out in time and drove off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switching gears (and not sure if this was covered in the previous 30 pages). But I don’t understand the folks all over the Internet who stayed behind with their house to “save it” until the very last minute. I absolutely understand the impulse to protect your home, particularly if it’s uninsured. But what do people think they are going to use within their household to fight this massive fire? It feels like a foolish attempt that will cause them to be left behind and require a rescue that endangers EMS personnel.

There was a video of a man with his dog in his home looking out a flames feet from his home on multiple sides telling his dog it was going to be ok. I don't think it was going to be OK and I wonder what happened to him and the dog.

The poster of the original video said they were able to evacuate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So when the right is politicizing this and claiming that the Dems in charge cut the LAFD budget...they are lying.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/08/wildfire-threatens-karen-bass-extended-honeymoon-00197228

Bass also took heat from far-left activists online, who accused the mayor of cutting the fire department’s budget in order to pay for a costly new contract with the city’s police. Also weighing in against her was Patrick Soon-Shiong, the politically idiosyncratic owner of the Los Angeles Times, who echoed the attack, posting on X that “the Mayor cut LA Fire Department’s budget by $23M.”

That assertion is wrong. The city was in the process of negotiating a new contract with the fire department at the time the budget was being crafted, so additional funding for the department was set aside in a separate fund until that deal was finalized in November. In fact, the city’s fire budget increased more than $50 million year-over-year compared to the last budget cycle, according to Blumenfield’s office, although overall concerns about the department’s staffing level have persisted for a number of years.

Of course. Republicans are liars.

Karen Bass is not going to come out of this smelling of roses. She left LA to go to a random inauguration in Ghana when the fire risks were already emerging. This is not what a smart city leader does. There will be a lot of fingers pointed by everyone at each other, which is human nature and understandable in its own way as we want to think if only XYZ was done therefore everything would be perfect. This was a natural disaster made worse by substantial human settlement in a high risk area.

+1 not enough focus on safety

[Anonymous]

I'm in DC but have LA colleagues evacuating, then having to move again as things spread.

It's terrifying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switching gears (and not sure if this was covered in the previous 30 pages). But I don’t understand the folks all over the Internet who stayed behind with their house to “save it” until the very last minute. I absolutely understand the impulse to protect your home, particularly if it’s uninsured. But what do people think they are going to use within their household to fight this massive fire? It feels like a foolish attempt that will cause them to be left behind and require a rescue that endangers EMS personnel.

There was a video of a man with his dog in his home looking out a flames feet from his home on multiple sides telling his dog it was going to be ok. I don't think it was going to be OK and I wonder what happened to him and the dog.

The poster of the original video said they were able to evacuate

Then they got very lucky. Totally not worth the risk.

[Anonymous]

To me, I think just living in CA - the Palisades is asking for trouble. Given the context of wildfires these days wrecking havoc in dry conditions, goodness, you really have to be in serious denial not to recognize the potential danger of living there. It's one thing to accept that risk and continue but another to act all shocked and surprised it's happening.

100000% this is a tragedy of epic proportions that I wouldn't wish upon anyone but on the other hand, from a very sensible perspective, given enough time, this is going to happen. I'll tell you what else will happen in time - a major earthquake. It's science and logic.

It's not that you need to avoid all danger all the time, it's that people need to respect how the earth works and be cognizant and practical about their choices. Be prepared. Be aware and informed. Be realistic. Just know that if you live in one of the most beautiful paradises on earth daily, around dry conditions with brush fires and Santa Ana winds - you will see a day when you might experience a wildfire burning your neighborhood down. It's not some fantasy situation - it's a real risk and it's OK to take that risk but you can't say you never saw it coming.

The other thing I hate about it is that in choosing that reality, they hike up premiums for the rest of us who require home insurance which sucks for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in DC but have LA colleagues evacuating, then having to move again as things spread.

It's terrifying.

I’m in DC and heard yesterday morning that my best friend’s brother lost their home. Then my DH came home from a daylong deposition and one of the lawyers on the opposing side found out his family had also lost everything. They were both in the Palisades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switching gears (and not sure if this was covered in the previous 30 pages). But I don’t understand the folks all over the Internet who stayed behind with their house to “save it” until the very last minute. I absolutely understand the impulse to protect your home, particularly if it’s uninsured. But what do people think they are going to use within their household to fight this massive fire? It feels like a foolish attempt that will cause them to be left behind and require a rescue that endangers EMS personnel.

There was a video of a man with his dog in his home looking out a flames feet from his home on multiple sides telling his dog it was going to be ok. I don't think it was going to be OK and I wonder what happened to him and the dog.

Exactly. Is this just a panic response? Acknowledgment that there’s nowhere else to go and so they give up? A fire engulfing a city is not going to spare your home because you use water from the bathtub or wet towels. I absolutely don’t understand this. There are a couple knuckleheads on CNN this morning who filmed themselves trying to “fight the fire“ from their home before they bailed. They were cracking jokes in the interview and it really seemed like they were trying to create some Internet fame from the event. The whole thing was weird and distasteful.

But people aren't logical they are emotional and 95% of people have 0 common sense. That's why people don't leave when they should evacuate from any natural disaster, be it wildfires, hurricanes, etc. A lot of times I think it stems from fear but also a lot of people just don't know what to do when they are in a situation requiring quick thinking - they can't make decisions in crisis mode. I'm not kidding. A lot of people are not built to handle new situations. It's just how some people are wired - they don't do anything because they don't know what to do. Even if you tell them what to do, they freeze up and can't do anything. I don't know really how to explain it but to say that it's not shocking or surprising to me someone is acting like this. Statistically, a lot of people are like this.

This is the video I saw. It's terrifying https://www.tmz.com/2025/01/08/people-and-dog-stuck-in-home-during-pacific-palisades-fire/
If people don't realize what happens if you don't evacuate, now they know. I hope they are ok but it looks bad.

No deaths have been recorded in Pacific Palisades, this video was circulating for a while so I imagine we'd know by now if they had died. It is a terrifying video but pretty sure they dashed out in time and drove off.

So the codes require homeowners to maintain a fire break around their homes and these fire burn at different intensities. So the picture might look bad but it could have been a low intensity area burning vegetation that was far enough away from the house that it did not burn the house. Some of the vegetation will burn very quickly but die out. I have seen these areas after the fact. Many times the burnt area will lead up to the house and run out of fuel.

Now if you are in an intense area with lots of fuel and the winds are blowing through a canyon not much you can do.

[Anonymous]

This is going to be the Defund the Police moment for the environmental activists. For decades they’ve refused to allow common sense Forest/vegetation management and water storage projects. If the resource mismanagement doesn’t wake up the Hollywood elites, then the rebuilding permitting process surely will. The California Coastal Commission is not going to allow most of them to rebuild.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Switching gears (and not sure if this was covered in the previous 30 pages). But I don’t understand the folks all over the Internet who stayed behind with their house to “save it” until the very last minute. I absolutely understand the impulse to protect your home, particularly if it’s uninsured. But what do people think they are going to use within their household to fight this massive fire? It feels like a foolish attempt that will cause them to be left behind and require a rescue that endangers EMS personnel.

There was a video of a man with his dog in his home looking out a flames feet from his home on multiple sides telling his dog it was going to be ok. I don't think it was going to be OK and I wonder what happened to him and the dog.

Exactly. Is this just a panic response? Acknowledgment that there’s nowhere else to go and so they give up? A fire engulfing a city is not going to spare your home because you use water from the bathtub or wet towels. I absolutely don’t understand this. There are a couple knuckleheads on CNN this morning who filmed themselves trying to “fight the fire“ from their home before they bailed. They were cracking jokes in the interview and it really seemed like they were trying to create some Internet fame from the event. The whole thing was weird and distasteful.

But people aren't logical they are emotional and 95% of people have 0 common sense. That's why people don't leave when they should evacuate from any natural disaster, be it wildfires, hurricanes, etc. A lot of times I think it stems from fear but also a lot of people just don't know what to do when they are in a situation requiring quick thinking - they can't make decisions in crisis mode. I'm not kidding. A lot of people are not built to handle new situations. It's just how some people are wired - they don't do anything because they don't know what to do. Even if you tell them what to do, they freeze up and can't do anything. I don't know really how to explain it but to say that it's not shocking or surprising to me someone is acting like this. Statistically, a lot of people are like this.

This is the video I saw. It's terrifying https://www.tmz.com/2025/01/08/people-and-dog-stuck-in-home-during-pacific-palisades-fire/
If people don't realize what happens if you don't evacuate, now they know. I hope they are ok but it looks bad.

People should already know the dangers and how fast this stuff can spread.

I have some very, very good friends who lived in Chico, CA, next to Paradise. Both burned in a horrific fire in 2018. Netflix has an excellent documentary on this. For most of these people, there was no warning. NONE. One of my friends is a Pilates instructor and was teaching a class so didn’t have her phone (and neither did anyone else in the class) that morning for over an hour. During that time, the alerts went off. By the time all of them found out what was happening, none of them could go home and had to evacuate with the dirty, sweaty clothes they were wearing and some didn’t even have a car so they just got into whoever’s car had room. And they started driving in the direction that allowed traffic.

They all lost their homes. And for one of them the fire was so hot it melted her gun safe.

It’s an intense first hand account that will give you an awesome appreciation for a fire. GET OUT!

https://youtu.be/5KNAl23NwME?si=KymVC9RcJgL4eE6b

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me, I think just living in CA - the Palisades is asking for trouble. Given the context of wildfires these days wrecking havoc in dry conditions, goodness, you really have to be in serious denial not to recognize the potential danger of living there. It's one thing to accept that risk and continue but another to act all shocked and surprised it's happening.

100000% this is a tragedy of epic proportions that I wouldn't wish upon anyone but on the other hand, from a very sensible perspective, given enough time, this is going to happen. I'll tell you what else will happen in time - a major earthquake. It's science and logic.

It's not that you need to avoid all danger all the time, it's that people need to respect how the earth works and be cognizant and practical about their choices. Be prepared. Be aware and informed. Be realistic. Just know that if you live in one of the most beautiful paradises on earth daily, around dry conditions with brush fires and Santa Ana winds - you will see a day when you might experience a wildfire burning your neighborhood down. It's not some fantasy situation - it's a real risk and it's OK to take that risk but you can't say you never saw it coming.

The other thing I hate about it is that in choosing that reality, they hike up premiums for the rest of us who require home insurance which sucks for me.

Where do you live out of interest? Where is the right place to live?

Not in DC. Not in Florida or the Gulf coast (hurricanes). Not in Tornado Alley. Not on the Pacific Coast (tsunamis and volcanoes and earthquakes). Not on the Outer Banks (hurricanes and rising sea levels). Not in New Zealand or Japan or Indonesia or anywhere on the Ring of Fire or Iceland or Italy or Greece or on any coast (earthquakes and volcanoes and tsunamis). Not near the Himalayas (earthquakes). Not in Hawaii (volcanoes and tsunamis). Not in Australia (drought and bush fires). Not in Ashville, NC (floods). Not along the Mississippi. Not in the Caribbean.