Southern California Fires – Evening Report – 1/9/2025

Summary

Lookout Director Zeke Lunder, a geographer from Northern California, discusses the current fire situation in California, focusing on the Palisades and Altadena fires. The Palisades fire has not crossed the major retardant lines in the SE corner of the fire, along the trail portion of Mulholland Drive, and bulldozers are current working to contain it between Gizmo Peak and Topanga . The Altadena fire has destroyed many homes, but there was no new spread into urban areas today. Susie Cagle, a journalist, joined the livestream to discuss how communities work together following major disasters, and the highly-regional differences in how communities work to deal with wildfire threats. The conversation also touched on the role of prescribed fire and how options for using fire vary wildly from place to place.

Current Fire Situation Overview

• No new public fire perimeter maps were released for the Palisades fire today. Both the Eaton and Palisades Fire have been active primarily in wildland areas, not in urbanized ones.
• The Palisades Fire has been moving northward, with air tankers and helicopters active in specific areas, and bulldozers working on containment lines.

Detailed Analysis of Palisades Fire

• The fire activity is concentrated in the top of the Mandeville Canyon watershed between Mulholland Drive trail and San Vincente Mountain Park.
• Bulldozers are working to create a containment box, and there were flare-ups in the evening, but the fire did not cross the retardant lines or primary dozer lines.
• WebCam footage from Topanga Peak shows bulldozers working ahead of the fire to create a fire line north of Gizmo Peak.
• The fire has not moved towards Santa Monica, with most activity focused on the ridgetops between Topanga and San Vincente Mountain Park.

Altadena Fire Update and Smaller Fires

• Zeke discusses the Altadena fire, highlighting the destruction in the neighborhood and the fire’s activity on Mount Wilson in the Angeles National Forest.
• The fire is not active in urban areas, and the area is somewhat contained by previous fires like the Bobcat fire and the Station Fire.
• The sunset fire above Hollywood is considered done, and the Kenneth fire near Malibu Canyon is also fairly wrapped up.

Susie Cagle Interview

• Susie Cagle introduces herself as a journalist reporting on fire in the context of climate, housing, insurance, and other related issues.
• Susie shares her personal connection to fire, growing up with her father’s childhood home burned in Santa Barbara.
• Susie discusses the perception of fire in the Bay Area, where recent fires have not been as impactful, leading to a sense of complacency.
• Zeke and Susie discuss whether the approach to fire management has significantly changed in recent years or if it’s just due to good luck with weather.
• Zeke shares his screen to discuss the landscape-level changes in California, focusing on areas that haven’t had significant fire in the last 20 years.
• Zeke highlights the potential for mega fires in areas like the Yuba River Watershed and areas south of Highway 50 in the Sierra foothills.
• Susie and Zeke discuss the challenges of implementing fire management strategies in densely populated areas and the need for social change around fire and land management.

Community Involvement and Fuels Management

• Zeke shares examples of community involvement in fuels management in Shasta County and Yuba County, where people are taking fuels treatment seriously.
• In Shasta County, insurance companies are dropping people unless they do the work, leading to community-wide adoption of fuels treatment.
• In Yuba County, the nearby 2020 Bear Fire motivated people to get on board with fuels treatment, with commercial timber land being heavily thinned.
• Zeke emphasizes the need for a long-term view on fire management, as the landscape will look different in 30-40 years if current practices continue.

Challenges of Urban Fire Management

• Susie discusses the challenges of managing fire in urban areas, where the risk is not just from vegetation but from structures and neighbors’ homes.
• Zeke and Susie discuss the importance of community involvement and the need for local leadership.
• Susie shares her experience with volunteer wildland fire organizations in Malibu and the challenges of scaling these efforts.
• Zeke and Susie discuss the importance of community buy-in to effectively reduce fire risks in urban areas.
• Susie shares her thoughts on the potential for prescribed fire in urban areas and the need for strong leadership to implement these strategies.

Reflections on Fire Management and Community Resilience

• Zeke and Susie discuss the importance of community resilience and the need for alternative forms of belonging beyond rebuilding after fires.
• Susie shares her thoughts on the challenges of maintaining grassroots efforts and the importance of community involvement in fire management.