Why is the fire in Los Angeles not being extinguished even after millions of efforts? Scientists have now revealed
The fire in Los Angeles, the major city of the US state of California, has not been controlled yet and thousands of acres of land have been burnt in this fire so far. It is a matter of concern that despite lakhs of efforts and resources, the fire could not be controlled. Now scientists have revealed why the fire in Los Angeles spread so much and what was the reason that it could not be controlled yet. Hydrologist Ming Pan of the University of California-San Diego has said that Southern California is extremely dry and due to this the fire in the forests of Los Angeles took a terrible form.
Scientists warned about drought
Scientists said that in early January, the soil moisture level in most parts of Southern California is historically low at 2 percent. California has a rainy season in October, but this time the rain was very less. Due to this, the natural water sources of the state dried up. Scientists said that when the air became hot and dry, water also dried up from plants and soil due to transpiration and evaporation. This dried up the forest and this is what caused the fire to spread rapidly. Now the situation will get worse after the fire. In such a situation, scientists have also warned about the coming days and said that there is a possibility of drought in California. However, the situation can change only after one or two good rains.
Santa Ana winds increased the disaster
Powerful Santa Ana winds also played an important role in inciting the Los Angeles fire. By January 10, thousands of homes and other structures, including several schools, had been burned by this fire and at least 10 people have died. More than 180,000 people have been forced to be displaced due to the fire. Santa Ana winds are dry, powerful winds that blow from the mountains to the Southern California coast. Santa Ana wind events occur on average 10 times a year in California, usually from autumn to January. When conditions are dry, as is the case now, these winds become a serious fire hazard. These strong dry winds often blow at a speed of 30 to 40 miles per hour. But in early January 2025, winds reached 80 mph.
