the ingredients of devastating fires in California

« Hurricane-force winds combined with extreme drought conditions » : all the ingredients came together in recent days in California to make the fires devastating, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. We still do not know how they started, but in a few hours the outbreaks of fire multiplied thanks to the gusts which allowed the embers to sometimes travel several kilometers. On Thursday, five fires still surrounded the north of the megalopolis, including the emblematic Hollywood district, forced to evacuate.

Five deaths, thousands of charred buildings… The toll will undoubtedly be much heavier. On Thursday, the only good news was the weakening of the winds, marking the end of this « historical Santa Ana episode »which was to facilitate the intervention of emergency services and firefighters, according to Cyril Bonnefoy, meteorologist at the Weather Channel*. « The Santa Ana winds…