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With LA On Fire Weather Watch, We Remember Woolsey
A power line catches fire as the Woolsey fire burns on both sides of Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) in Malibu as night falls on Nov. 9, 2018.
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Robyn Beck
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AFP
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Topline:
The Woolsey Fire in Malibu — deemed an “unstoppable monster” — started five years ago today in 2018. It burned 97,000 acres across the Santa Monica Mountains, killed three people and destroyed more than 1600 structures, a quarter of them were homes in Malibu.
Why now: We’ve been on fire weather watch lately as we enter a period of higher temperatures and Santa Ana winds. How To LA host Brian de Los Santos speaks to LAist's science reporter Jacob Margolis about what happened that made this fire so destructive and what we learned from it…if anything.
Why it Matters: Woolsey reinforced that a wildfire can race across a part of L.A. — in this case from the valley to the Pacific — in less than 24 hours, and that firefighters can’t always be there to help. Around the same time, the Hill Fire was burning in Ventura and the deadly Camp Fire had started up north.
“You're kind of on your own,” Jacob says. “You need to prepare and that's the message that's come from firefighters as well.”
That means, for one thing, creating a defensible space around your home and clearing brush. Here are some of Jacob’s other tips on how to get ready when those red flag warnings are up.
Listen to the conversation:
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16:15
Five Years After The Woolsey Fire: Did We Learn Anything From It?
Go deeper:
Jacob Margolis is the host of the Big Burn podcast. Take a listen here.
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Devastated By Fire, These Residents Geared Up To Fight The Next One. Are They Ready?
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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