Up in flames
The Getty Fire, seen near the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles on
Oct. 28, is just one of several California infernos that, as of that
day, had forced some 200,000 people from their homes. As
the state grapples with the aftermath of a drought that ended
in 2017, warmer temperatures driven by climate change have
turned dry forests into furnaces. Utilities shut off electricity
for more than 2 million people to reduce the risk of sparking
equipment. But officials warn that fires like the Getty—which
preliminary findings indicate was started by a branch falling on
a power line—are still likely to spread. “It only takes one ember,”
Ralph Terrazas, chief of the L.A. Fire Department, said on Oct. 29.
Photograph by Kyle Grillot—The New York Times/Redux
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