At long last, the Eaton and Palisades wildfires in Los Angeles are almost fully contained.
It has been more than three weeks since the blazes erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, and now, as I'm writing this on Friday, Jan. 31, they are finally just a percent or two from full containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Driven by hurricane force winds, the fires quickly roared through a desiccated landscape. Together they've scorched 37,469 acres — an area more than two and a half times the size of Manhattan.
As we've seen so tragically, entire neighborhoods have been reduced to ash and rubble, and at least 29 people have died. The fires now rank as two of the most deadly and destructive wildfires in California history.
Scientists are working hard to analyze the role climate change may have played in the cataclysm. But to Daniel Swain, ...
