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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 1:45 p.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another day of fierce winds gusting to 65 mph in mountainous areas of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties in Southern California was expected on Wednesday, but weather more conducive to firefighting operations is expected soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Weather Service (NWS) \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=CAZ353&warncounty=CAC083&firewxzone=CAZ353&local_place1=18%20Miles%20W%20Cuyama%20CA&product1=Red+Flag+Warning&lat=34.9106&lon=-119.9623\">issued\u003c/a> another red flag warning for the area until 3 p.m. PST, cautioning of more of the windy and dry conditions that have fed raging fires for more than a week. The strong Santa Ana winds have helped push the deadly blazes through the Los Angeles suburbs, killing at least 25 people and leveling expensive real estate in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All told, the fires have engulfed more than 40,000 acres (more than 62 square miles), according to Cal Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The good news is that for the last two days we’ve had no increase in acreage at the Eaton Fire and it remains estimated at 14,117 acres with 35% containment,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said of one of the largest fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=c7285ba9ce524bbba6c689e96d013112\" width=\"1200\" height=\"650\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003cbr>\n\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px\">(Map by Matthew Green/KQED)\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>This map is updated regularly throughout the day. Wildfire locations and perimeters are sourced from \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/\">Cal Fire\u003c/a> and updated multiple times per day. Click on each fire icon for more incident-specific detail. Evacuation zones and wind conditions can viewed by clicking the layers button (top left). If map is not loading correctly on your device, try \u003ca href=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=c7285ba9ce524bbba6c689e96d013112\">viewing it here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Palisades fire, which spans more than 23,000 acres, is just 19% contained, according to Cal Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, meteorologists initially called for particularly strong winds that turned out to be lighter that expected, according to NPR member station \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/extreme-fire-weather-palisades-eaton\">LAist\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a reprieve in the high winds was expected from Thursday into Saturday. NWS meteorologist Ryan Kittell noted that the service is worried about “one last [wind] enhancement” through Wednesday and that peak winds would be highest in Ventura County.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12021954,news_12021019,news_12021125\"]Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had difficulty describing the devastation that has befallen her city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The massive, massive destruction. Is unimaginable until you actually see it,” Bass said. Even so, she said, it was time “to begin to think about how we rebuild.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the fires broke out last week, responders from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico have come to the aid of Southern California. “Yesterday, I also had the opportunity to meet with our international partners from Mexico to express our heartfelt gratitude for their assistance. The outpouring of support from both near and far, I tell you, is absolutely remarkable,” LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the 25 dead, 17 were killed in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/7/eaton-fire\">Eaton Fire\u003c/a> and eight in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/7/palisades-fire\">Palisades Fire\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/eaton-palisades-fires-death-toll\">LAist says\u003c/a>. Officials said of the 13 still listed as missing, two bodies had been recovered but not yet positively identified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 55,000 customers were \u003ca href=\"https://poweroutage.us/area/state/california\">without power on Wednesday\u003c/a> in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, according to PowerOutage.us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How to help and stay safe\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Resources to help stay safe:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/authorities-ask-residents-to-evacuate-when-ordered-warned\">\u003cstrong>With fire danger still high, authorities implore you to follow evacuation orders.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/dos-donts-after-wildfire\">\u003cstrong>What to do — and not do — when you get home after a fire evacuation.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/10/nx-s1-5256230/smoke-home-air-purifier-box-fan\"> \u003cstrong>Is smoke in your home? Here’s how to make an air purifier from a box fan.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/25/g-s1-24534/wildfire-app-watch-duty-firefighting\">\u003cstrong>Trying to stay safe in a wildfire? There’s an app that can help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ways to support the response and recovery:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/how-to-help-la-fire-victims\">\u003cstrong>Want to help fire victims? Here’s what experts say does the most good and places seeking volunteers.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/wildfire-help-donate-volunteer\">\u003cstrong>Wildfire donations and volunteering: How and where to help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/cheat-sheet-what-to-do-if-you-need-to-make-a-fire-insurance-claim\">\u003cstrong>Share: These are the steps fire victims need to take to make an insurance claim.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>LAist’s coverage\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the latest.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How to help and stay safe\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Resources to help stay safe:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/authorities-ask-residents-to-evacuate-when-ordered-warned\">\u003cstrong>With fire danger still high, authorities implore you to follow evacuation orders.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/dos-donts-after-wildfire\">\u003cstrong>What to do — and not do — when you get home after a fire evacuation.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/10/nx-s1-5256230/smoke-home-air-purifier-box-fan\"> \u003cstrong>Is smoke in your home? Here’s how to make an air purifier from a box fan.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/25/g-s1-24534/wildfire-app-watch-duty-firefighting\">\u003cstrong>Trying to stay safe in a wildfire? There’s an app that can help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ways to support the response and recovery:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/how-to-help-la-fire-victims\">\u003cstrong>Want to help fire victims? Here’s what experts say does the most good and places seeking volunteers.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/wildfire-help-donate-volunteer\">\u003cstrong>Wildfire donations and volunteering: How and where to help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/cheat-sheet-what-to-do-if-you-need-to-make-a-fire-insurance-claim\">\u003cstrong>Share: These are the steps fire victims need to take to make an insurance claim.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>LAist’s coverage\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the latest.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Travel Plans to LA — Should You Still Go?",
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"content": "\u003cp>The multiple wildfires that broke out last week in and around Los Angeles County — including \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/\">the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires\u003c/a> — have claimed \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-wildfires-victims-rcna186989\">at least 24 lives so far \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/live/pacific-palisades-fire-updates-los-angeles\">destroyed over 12,300 buildings.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/USA-Canada/los-angeles-tourism-recovery\">Los Angeles receives around 50 million visitors a year\u003c/a> from all over the world — and the Bay Area. The two regions are particularly closely intertwined: Folks constantly travel back and forth for family, friends or community events. But as fires continue to burn — and emergency resources and volunteers mobilize in response — is now the best time for folks to travel to Los Angeles? And is it even safe to visit L.A. right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskLosAngeles/comments/1hxl1tt/should_i_travel_to_la_this_weekend/\">These are questions some folks have been seeking guidance on online\u003c/a>. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957996/how-to-help-the-people-of-lahaina-on-maui-after-devastating-wildfires\">unlike Maui officials after the devastating Lahaina wildfire in 2023\u003c/a>, California authorities have still not made any public requests for travelers to stay away — yet. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) says it’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.flylax.com/\">open and operating normally\u003c/a>” while also noting that travelers “should check their flight status directly with their airline.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#la-fires-volunteer\">Why firefighters aren’t looking for out-of-town “clean-up volunteers” right now\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>However, officials elsewhere have urged people not to travel within the area, with \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/CaltransDist7/status/1879023687346843909\">CalTrans warning of ongoing highway closures. \u003c/a>Last week, the agency asked people to “\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/CaltransDist7/status/1877633112152183130\">limit your non-essential travel and stay away\u003c/a>” from the affected areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the absence of explicit guidance from officials, some folks with plans to visit L.A. might be torn about whether to cancel their plans, potentially losing money in the process from non-refundable reservations. And while much of this decision may ultimately come down to personal choice, it’s also important to be aware of your impact — and the extreme challenges you might face as a visitor to L.A. at the moment — when making your judgment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for the reasons you might strongly consider canceling your visit to L.A. right now. And remember: Everyone’s situation is different when it comes to refunds, so it’s important that you speak directly to any providers you’ve reserved travel through — or to your insurer if you’ve purchased travel insurance — to see what’s possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"la-fires-volunteer\">\u003c/a>Reason 1: Contrary to some social media postings, officials aren’t looking for out-of-town “clean-up volunteers” right now\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wanting to help the people of L.A. in this current moment is completely natural — and we’ve got \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021150/where-to-donate-help-los-angeles-wildfire-eaton-fire-palisades-pasadena\">an ongoing list of organizations and mutual aid funds you can donate to\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on Tuesday, CalFire warned that an “inaccurate social media post is currently circulating on Facebook” that “claims that individuals can come to California to join a clean-up crew in areas affected by recent LA wildfires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This information is false, and we would like to clarify that there is no such opportunity available,” CalFire says. Edwin Zuniga, the agency’s public information officer, confirmed that \u003ca href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/12/los-angeles-fires-cleanup-crews-volunteers/77655364007/\">“we don’t just take volunteers off the street to come help out”\u003c/a> due to a lack of specific training and experience in wildfire and firefighting situations — and that fire departments will instead call in firefighters from other departments to assist them, if they’re lacking personnel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>L.A. volunteer nonprofit, L.A. Works, is also \u003ca href=\"https://www.laworks.com/2025fires\">urging people not to “self-deploy to impacted areas,”\u003c/a> as “first responders need roads to remain clear and Angelenos to stay safe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s entirely natural to feel the impulse to help out in person at the current moment. But right now, if you don’t live in the L.A. region, your energies might be better spent\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021150/where-to-donate-help-los-angeles-wildfire-eaton-fire-palisades-pasadena\"> supporting the volunteers and organizations who are already doing the work down there\u003c/a>, especially as several fires are still ongoing. L.A. Works also has:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.laworks.com/2025fires\">A list of donation opportunities plus specific calls for volunteers \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1eaSXTYlLY_spJ-_w43ac55qu6X4YtgApgRGfads3cM4/htmlview\">A spreadsheet of in-person volunteer opportunities for people in the region \u003c/a>(“These are not necessarily vetted, so please assess before showing up,” L.A. Works says.)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://go.laworks.com/disaster-volunteers\">A sign-up sheet for folks interested in more volunteer opportunities\u003c/a> “once the fire is contained.”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021613\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021613\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461.jpg\" alt=\"A tree by a burnt out pool with the city in the distance from a hill.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A tree remains intact, in the devastation of the Palisades Fire, on Jan. 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Jay L. Clendenin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 2: Evacuees may still need those hotel rooms and short-term rentals right now \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/14/los-angeles-wildfires-day-8-whats-the-latest-whats-next-as-winds-rage\">Over 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders\u003c/a> in Los Angeles County, with another 89,000 under evacuation warnings. A great number have lost their homes entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while many people are finding shelter with friends or family elsewhere in the region, that still means there are a huge number of evacuees who are seeking a roof over their heads in the form of a hotel room or a short-term rental like Airbnb or VRBO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Airbnb is currently partnering with 211 LA to offer \u003ca href=\"https://news.airbnb.com/airbnb-org-offers-temporary-housing-to-people-impacted-by-the-los-angeles-wildfires/\">free accommodation to people displaced by the fires in L.A\u003c/a>., and \u003ca href=\"https://211la.org/LA-Wildfires\">211 LA is warning that high demand for these short-term rentals means applicants are already waiting\u003c/a> to get a response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, losing money by canceling non-refundable accommodation is no small thing. But if your hotel or short-term rental is non-refundable, it’s always worth contacting the hotel or owner directly to explain the situation and ask what’s possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021699\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021699\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view of mountains near a city with smoke billowing out of a valley.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"621\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-800x485.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-1020x619.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-160x97.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helicopter aerial view of the Palisades fire burning in the Mountain Gate Country\u003cbr>Club area with smoke visible from the San Fernando Valley on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 3: The air quality in many parts of L.A. could still pose a risk to your health \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As you’ll have seen from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020918/photos-thousands-in-la-evacuate-amid-exploding-wind-fueled-wildfires\">the harrowing photographs coming out of L.A. since last week\u003c/a>, huge portions of the region have been choked with thick wildfire smoke. But because of the way this smoke can travel huge distances, fanned by the powerful winds sweeping through the region right now, it’s not just\u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/\"> areas actively burning right now\u003c/a> that are impacted by dangerous air quality. \u003ca href=\"https://map.purpleair.com/air-quality-standards-us-epa-aqi?opt=%2F1%2Flp%2Fa10%2Fp604800%2FcC0#9.47/33.9749/-118.1902\">See the current air quality readings for the L.A. area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s crucial to take wildfire smoke seriously because \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">even brief exposure to it can cause potentially serious health problems\u003c/a> for everyone. What we call “wildfire smoke” is actually an ever-changing mix of particles and gasses, and many of these compounds are toxic. But the most dangerous thing for your health in wildfire smoke is the fine particulate matter: that is, the tiny pieces of soot and ash that are invisible to the naked eye. These particles — also known as PM 2.5 — are so small and light that they can travel huge distances from a raging wildfire and then cause damage to your body just by entering it, setting off inflammatory reactions that can make breathing difficult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In serious cases, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">these reactions can even trigger a heart attack or stroke\u003c/a> in people already at risk of those events. The particles can travel deep into your lungs, and within a few days, the damage they cause can result in bronchitis or pneumonia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you intend to still visit L.A., it’ll be crucial for you to \u003ca href=\"https://map.purpleair.com/air-quality-standards-us-epa-aqi?opt=%2F1%2Flp%2Fa10%2Fp604800%2FcC0#9.47/33.9749/-118.1902\">monitor the air quality\u003c/a>, and to stay inside if readings become hazardous. If you have to be outside in those conditions, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">you should wear an N95 or KN95 mask\u003c/a> — the kind you may have stocked up on due to COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021615\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689.jpg\" alt=\"A flaming hill with helicopter dropping water at night and city in the distance.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689-800x549.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689-1020x700.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689-160x110.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills, with evacuations ordered on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 4: Tourist attractions and big events are closing — or moving\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are always fun things happening in L.A., but the fires — and smoke that’s covering most of the city — changed all that last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Hollywood sign, perhaps the most emblematic landmark of Southern California, is currently not welcoming any visitors. The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks says that Griffith Park, where the Hollywood sign is located, \u003ca href=\"https://www.laparks.org/emergency\">will now remain closed until Wednesday, Jan. 15\u003c/a>. This also includes other popular attractions like the Griffith Observatory, Runyon Canyon and Lake Hollywood Park, another popular viewpoint for the Hollywood sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just a few of the tourist attractions in the greater Los Angeles area that remain closed as of Tuesday, Jan. 14:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.wbstudiotour.com/info/arrival-information/\">Warner Bros. Studios\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2025/01/getty-villa-closed-indefinitely-palisades-fire-1236255978/\">The Getty Villa\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2025/01/getty-villa-closed-indefinitely-palisades-fire-1236255978/\">The Getty Center,\u003c/a> located in Brentwood, will be closed till Sunday, Jan. 12.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moca.org/visit/hours-tickets-admission\">The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://hammer.ucla.edu/visit#:~:text=ALERT%3A%20Due%20to%20ongoing%20nearby,the%20museum%20is%20currently%20closed.\">The Hammer Museum\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will be closed on Friday, Jan. 10.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"forum_2010101908436,news_12021213,news_12021150\"]\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal CityWalk and Disneyland remain open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big sporting events have also been affected by the fires. The Los Angeles Rams were scheduled to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, but \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/NFL345/status/1877514629796041126\">the game was instead played at State Farm Stadium\u003c/a> in Glendale, Arizona, at the same scheduled time. Other L.A. teams, like the Chargers and Kings, also programmed away games throughout the week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022064\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of burned Altadena Church and Chevron gas station as greater Los Angeles fire continue, in Altadena, Los Angeles County, on Jan. 13, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 5: Travel could still be difficult in L.A. right now\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>All major Bay Area airports (San Francisco, Oakland and San José International) are still continuing to fly to the L.A. area. Amtrak is still also offering service to its L.A. stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Los Angeles city officials are been discouraging travel by car in the area. “Anywhere in this city, if you can stay off the roads, please do so,” City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson says during a Wednesday press conference. “If there is not a good reason for you to be on the roads, we ask that you leave the roads open as possibly as you can to the public safety professionals that have to do their work and will lead us out of the crisis that we face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that over 100,000 people in Los Angeles County are still under evacuation orders and \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/Cal_OES/status/1878865410944348623\">many are still in shelters\u003c/a>. Many residents will be using the roads to travel back home once evacuations are lifted — or, if another wildfire breaks out, using them to evacuate.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 6: Fires can be unpredictable\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re traveling to an area of L.A. that’s far from \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/\">the active wildfire zones down there\u003c/a>, you might consider yourself to be much safer than if you were staying closer to the fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But unfortunately, fires can move unpredictably — and, as we’ve seen this week, very fast. And new blazes can affect communities that would never have suspected themselves to be under threat of wildfires or evacuation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Red%20Flag%20Warning\">New red flag warnings\u003c/a> for the Santa Ana winds, which have been stoking these L.A. wildfires, remain in place through Wednesday at 6 p.m., and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-13/particularly-dangerous-situation-red-flag-fire-weather-warning-issued-for-l-a-ventura-counties\">the National Weather Service has issued its most severe fire warning through noon Wednesday\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The largest of the current fires, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/\">the Palisades fire, is still only 35% contained\u003c/a> after burning for a week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, it’s extremely difficult to make accurate predictions about how these wildfires in L.A. will develop, and assuming that the situation will improve within days is not advisable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "As fires continue to burn — and emergency resources mobilize in response — is now the best time for you to travel to Los Angeles?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The multiple wildfires that broke out last week in and around Los Angeles County — including \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/\">the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires\u003c/a> — have claimed \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-wildfires-victims-rcna186989\">at least 24 lives so far \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/live/pacific-palisades-fire-updates-los-angeles\">destroyed over 12,300 buildings.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/USA-Canada/los-angeles-tourism-recovery\">Los Angeles receives around 50 million visitors a year\u003c/a> from all over the world — and the Bay Area. The two regions are particularly closely intertwined: Folks constantly travel back and forth for family, friends or community events. But as fires continue to burn — and emergency resources and volunteers mobilize in response — is now the best time for folks to travel to Los Angeles? And is it even safe to visit L.A. right now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskLosAngeles/comments/1hxl1tt/should_i_travel_to_la_this_weekend/\">These are questions some folks have been seeking guidance on online\u003c/a>. And \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957996/how-to-help-the-people-of-lahaina-on-maui-after-devastating-wildfires\">unlike Maui officials after the devastating Lahaina wildfire in 2023\u003c/a>, California authorities have still not made any public requests for travelers to stay away — yet. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) says it’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.flylax.com/\">open and operating normally\u003c/a>” while also noting that travelers “should check their flight status directly with their airline.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#la-fires-volunteer\">Why firefighters aren’t looking for out-of-town “clean-up volunteers” right now\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>However, officials elsewhere have urged people not to travel within the area, with \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/CaltransDist7/status/1879023687346843909\">CalTrans warning of ongoing highway closures. \u003c/a>Last week, the agency asked people to “\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/CaltransDist7/status/1877633112152183130\">limit your non-essential travel and stay away\u003c/a>” from the affected areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the absence of explicit guidance from officials, some folks with plans to visit L.A. might be torn about whether to cancel their plans, potentially losing money in the process from non-refundable reservations. And while much of this decision may ultimately come down to personal choice, it’s also important to be aware of your impact — and the extreme challenges you might face as a visitor to L.A. at the moment — when making your judgment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for the reasons you might strongly consider canceling your visit to L.A. right now. And remember: Everyone’s situation is different when it comes to refunds, so it’s important that you speak directly to any providers you’ve reserved travel through — or to your insurer if you’ve purchased travel insurance — to see what’s possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"la-fires-volunteer\">\u003c/a>Reason 1: Contrary to some social media postings, officials aren’t looking for out-of-town “clean-up volunteers” right now\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wanting to help the people of L.A. in this current moment is completely natural — and we’ve got \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021150/where-to-donate-help-los-angeles-wildfire-eaton-fire-palisades-pasadena\">an ongoing list of organizations and mutual aid funds you can donate to\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on Tuesday, CalFire warned that an “inaccurate social media post is currently circulating on Facebook” that “claims that individuals can come to California to join a clean-up crew in areas affected by recent LA wildfires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This information is false, and we would like to clarify that there is no such opportunity available,” CalFire says. Edwin Zuniga, the agency’s public information officer, confirmed that \u003ca href=\"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/12/los-angeles-fires-cleanup-crews-volunteers/77655364007/\">“we don’t just take volunteers off the street to come help out”\u003c/a> due to a lack of specific training and experience in wildfire and firefighting situations — and that fire departments will instead call in firefighters from other departments to assist them, if they’re lacking personnel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>L.A. volunteer nonprofit, L.A. Works, is also \u003ca href=\"https://www.laworks.com/2025fires\">urging people not to “self-deploy to impacted areas,”\u003c/a> as “first responders need roads to remain clear and Angelenos to stay safe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s entirely natural to feel the impulse to help out in person at the current moment. But right now, if you don’t live in the L.A. region, your energies might be better spent\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021150/where-to-donate-help-los-angeles-wildfire-eaton-fire-palisades-pasadena\"> supporting the volunteers and organizations who are already doing the work down there\u003c/a>, especially as several fires are still ongoing. L.A. Works also has:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.laworks.com/2025fires\">A list of donation opportunities plus specific calls for volunteers \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1eaSXTYlLY_spJ-_w43ac55qu6X4YtgApgRGfads3cM4/htmlview\">A spreadsheet of in-person volunteer opportunities for people in the region \u003c/a>(“These are not necessarily vetted, so please assess before showing up,” L.A. Works says.)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://go.laworks.com/disaster-volunteers\">A sign-up sheet for folks interested in more volunteer opportunities\u003c/a> “once the fire is contained.”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021613\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021613\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461.jpg\" alt=\"A tree by a burnt out pool with the city in the distance from a hill.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192452461-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A tree remains intact, in the devastation of the Palisades Fire, on Jan. 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Jay L. Clendenin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 2: Evacuees may still need those hotel rooms and short-term rentals right now \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/14/los-angeles-wildfires-day-8-whats-the-latest-whats-next-as-winds-rage\">Over 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders\u003c/a> in Los Angeles County, with another 89,000 under evacuation warnings. A great number have lost their homes entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while many people are finding shelter with friends or family elsewhere in the region, that still means there are a huge number of evacuees who are seeking a roof over their heads in the form of a hotel room or a short-term rental like Airbnb or VRBO.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Airbnb is currently partnering with 211 LA to offer \u003ca href=\"https://news.airbnb.com/airbnb-org-offers-temporary-housing-to-people-impacted-by-the-los-angeles-wildfires/\">free accommodation to people displaced by the fires in L.A\u003c/a>., and \u003ca href=\"https://211la.org/LA-Wildfires\">211 LA is warning that high demand for these short-term rentals means applicants are already waiting\u003c/a> to get a response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, losing money by canceling non-refundable accommodation is no small thing. But if your hotel or short-term rental is non-refundable, it’s always worth contacting the hotel or owner directly to explain the situation and ask what’s possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021699\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021699\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view of mountains near a city with smoke billowing out of a valley.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"621\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-800x485.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-1020x619.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-160x97.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helicopter aerial view of the Palisades fire burning in the Mountain Gate Country\u003cbr>Club area with smoke visible from the San Fernando Valley on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 3: The air quality in many parts of L.A. could still pose a risk to your health \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As you’ll have seen from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020918/photos-thousands-in-la-evacuate-amid-exploding-wind-fueled-wildfires\">the harrowing photographs coming out of L.A. since last week\u003c/a>, huge portions of the region have been choked with thick wildfire smoke. But because of the way this smoke can travel huge distances, fanned by the powerful winds sweeping through the region right now, it’s not just\u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/\"> areas actively burning right now\u003c/a> that are impacted by dangerous air quality. \u003ca href=\"https://map.purpleair.com/air-quality-standards-us-epa-aqi?opt=%2F1%2Flp%2Fa10%2Fp604800%2FcC0#9.47/33.9749/-118.1902\">See the current air quality readings for the L.A. area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s crucial to take wildfire smoke seriously because \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">even brief exposure to it can cause potentially serious health problems\u003c/a> for everyone. What we call “wildfire smoke” is actually an ever-changing mix of particles and gasses, and many of these compounds are toxic. But the most dangerous thing for your health in wildfire smoke is the fine particulate matter: that is, the tiny pieces of soot and ash that are invisible to the naked eye. These particles — also known as PM 2.5 — are so small and light that they can travel huge distances from a raging wildfire and then cause damage to your body just by entering it, setting off inflammatory reactions that can make breathing difficult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In serious cases, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">these reactions can even trigger a heart attack or stroke\u003c/a> in people already at risk of those events. The particles can travel deep into your lungs, and within a few days, the damage they cause can result in bronchitis or pneumonia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you intend to still visit L.A., it’ll be crucial for you to \u003ca href=\"https://map.purpleair.com/air-quality-standards-us-epa-aqi?opt=%2F1%2Flp%2Fa10%2Fp604800%2FcC0#9.47/33.9749/-118.1902\">monitor the air quality\u003c/a>, and to stay inside if readings become hazardous. If you have to be outside in those conditions, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">you should wear an N95 or KN95 mask\u003c/a> — the kind you may have stocked up on due to COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021615\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689.jpg\" alt=\"A flaming hill with helicopter dropping water at night and city in the distance.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689-800x549.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689-1020x700.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193042689-160x110.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills, with evacuations ordered on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 4: Tourist attractions and big events are closing — or moving\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are always fun things happening in L.A., but the fires — and smoke that’s covering most of the city — changed all that last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Hollywood sign, perhaps the most emblematic landmark of Southern California, is currently not welcoming any visitors. The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks says that Griffith Park, where the Hollywood sign is located, \u003ca href=\"https://www.laparks.org/emergency\">will now remain closed until Wednesday, Jan. 15\u003c/a>. This also includes other popular attractions like the Griffith Observatory, Runyon Canyon and Lake Hollywood Park, another popular viewpoint for the Hollywood sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just a few of the tourist attractions in the greater Los Angeles area that remain closed as of Tuesday, Jan. 14:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.wbstudiotour.com/info/arrival-information/\">Warner Bros. Studios\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2025/01/getty-villa-closed-indefinitely-palisades-fire-1236255978/\">The Getty Villa\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://deadline.com/2025/01/getty-villa-closed-indefinitely-palisades-fire-1236255978/\">The Getty Center,\u003c/a> located in Brentwood, will be closed till Sunday, Jan. 12.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moca.org/visit/hours-tickets-admission\">The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://hammer.ucla.edu/visit#:~:text=ALERT%3A%20Due%20to%20ongoing%20nearby,the%20museum%20is%20currently%20closed.\">The Hammer Museum\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will be closed on Friday, Jan. 10.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal CityWalk and Disneyland remain open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big sporting events have also been affected by the fires. The Los Angeles Rams were scheduled to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, but \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/NFL345/status/1877514629796041126\">the game was instead played at State Farm Stadium\u003c/a> in Glendale, Arizona, at the same scheduled time. Other L.A. teams, like the Chargers and Kings, also programmed away games throughout the week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022064\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of burned Altadena Church and Chevron gas station as greater Los Angeles fire continue, in Altadena, Los Angeles County, on Jan. 13, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 5: Travel could still be difficult in L.A. right now\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>All major Bay Area airports (San Francisco, Oakland and San José International) are still continuing to fly to the L.A. area. Amtrak is still also offering service to its L.A. stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Los Angeles city officials are been discouraging travel by car in the area. “Anywhere in this city, if you can stay off the roads, please do so,” City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson says during a Wednesday press conference. “If there is not a good reason for you to be on the roads, we ask that you leave the roads open as possibly as you can to the public safety professionals that have to do their work and will lead us out of the crisis that we face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind that over 100,000 people in Los Angeles County are still under evacuation orders and \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/Cal_OES/status/1878865410944348623\">many are still in shelters\u003c/a>. Many residents will be using the roads to travel back home once evacuations are lifted — or, if another wildfire breaks out, using them to evacuate.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Reason 6: Fires can be unpredictable\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re traveling to an area of L.A. that’s far from \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/\">the active wildfire zones down there\u003c/a>, you might consider yourself to be much safer than if you were staying closer to the fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But unfortunately, fires can move unpredictably — and, as we’ve seen this week, very fast. And new blazes can affect communities that would never have suspected themselves to be under threat of wildfires or evacuation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Red%20Flag%20Warning\">New red flag warnings\u003c/a> for the Santa Ana winds, which have been stoking these L.A. wildfires, remain in place through Wednesday at 6 p.m., and \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-13/particularly-dangerous-situation-red-flag-fire-weather-warning-issued-for-l-a-ventura-counties\">the National Weather Service has issued its most severe fire warning through noon Wednesday\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The largest of the current fires, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/\">the Palisades fire, is still only 35% contained\u003c/a> after burning for a week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, it’s extremely difficult to make accurate predictions about how these wildfires in L.A. will develop, and assuming that the situation will improve within days is not advisable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "'Particularly Dangerous Situation' Red Flag Warning and Other Wildfire Terms Explained",
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"content": "\u003cp>A “particularly dangerous situation red flag warning” has been issued for parts of Southern California, as more extreme winds are expected to impact the region and deadly fires continue to burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rare, National Weather Service-issued PDS warning is for “\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/nwslosangeles/status/1879099654337667553?s=12&t=zqhVQvPMIcoxuuo4LPBNMw\">extremely rare and dangerous fire weather conditions\u003c/a> that have previously led to large and dangerous deadly wildfires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In effect for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through noon Wednesday, the PDS red flag warning signals that “this setup is about as bad as it gets,” \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/nwslosangeles/status/1878882840492044401?s=12&t=zqhVQvPMIcoxuuo4LPBNMw\">the NWS says\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, as member station LAist reports, the PDS red flag warning has already been issued \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/cheat-sheet-what-is-a-pds-weather-fire-talk\">a few other times in recent months\u003c/a> — an indication of the extreme weather Southern California is facing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “particularly dangerous situation” term was first used in the 1980s as guidance for tornado watches, says Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the NWS Weather Prediction Center. Since then, it’s been used for other hazards, such as flash flood watches, to “signal more extreme events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the ongoing fires in Southern California, a PDS red flag warning means that “the risk of damage and loss of life is high,” Chenard tells NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A regular warning already indicates a significant hazard, Chenard says. “But when you see the PDS term attached to it, it’s even a level beyond that. So, now the threat to life and property is even more extreme.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Multiple fires have been burning across Los Angeles and Ventura counties since last week, fueled in part by extremely dry conditions, gusty winds and low humidity. The Eaton, Palisades and Hurst fires have scorched more than 38,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are a few more terms related to the wildfires to understand:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022125\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A firefighter drags a hose during the Palisades Fire on Jan. 8, 2025, in Malibu, Los Angeles County. \u003ccite>(Eric Thayer/Getty Images North America)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Red flag warning:\u003c/strong> A \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/mqt/redflagtips\">red flag warning\u003c/a> means there are conditions for an increased risk of fire: a combination of very low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds. More on \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/what-is-a-red-flag-warning-fire-nws\">red flag warnings\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/cheat-sheet-what-is-a-pds-weather-fire-talk\">PDS warnings\u003c/a> from LAist.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Santa Ana winds:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/08/nx-s1-5252535/palisades-fire-california-los-angeles-santa-ana-winds\">Winds with powerful gusts\u003c/a> that sometimes exceed hurricane-force winds. They are caused by high pressure over the desert Southwest and push through the mountain passages in Southern California toward an area of lower pressure off the Pacific coast. \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/08/nx-s1-5252535/palisades-fire-california-los-angeles-santa-ana-winds\">More on the Santa Ana winds\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Evacuation Warning:\u003c/strong> There is “impending danger” to life or property, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://news.caloes.ca.gov/know-the-difference-what-evacuation-warnings-and-orders-mean/\">California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services\u003c/a>. A person should also expect an order to evacuate will follow shortly after.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Evacuation Order:\u003c/strong> The office also says there is an “immediate threat” to one’s life and people within an evacuation zone should leave immediately. \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/evacuation-orders-warnings-what-they-mean-emergency-wildfire-earthquake\">More on evacuation warnings and orders from LAist\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Containment:\u003c/strong> Several factors determine how much of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/12/21/572305828/what-does-containing-a-fire-really-mean\">fire has been contained\u003c/a>. Rather than describing how much of a fire has been put out, it refers to how much of a perimeter firefighters have created around a fire to prevent it from spreading. \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/what-is-fire-containment\">More on containment from LAist\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Prescribed burns:\u003c/strong> Also called prescribed fires, they are controlled fires used as a tool in firefighting to help prevent forest fires from burning out of control, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/prescribed-fire#:~:text=Prescribed%20fires%2C%20also%20known%20as,ecosystems%20that%20depend%20on%20fire.\">U.S. Forest Service\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021125/la-fires-renew-debate-over-prescribed-burns-and-fire-preparedness-in-california\">More on the debate over prescribed burns from member station KQED\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>How to help and stay safe\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Resources to help stay safe:\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/authorities-ask-residents-to-evacuate-when-ordered-warned\">\u003cstrong>With fire danger still high, authorities implore you to follow evacuation orders.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/dos-donts-after-wildfire\">\u003cstrong>What to do — and not do — when you get home after a fire evacuation.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/10/nx-s1-5256230/smoke-home-air-purifier-box-fan\"> \u003cstrong>Is smoke in your home? Here’s how to make an air purifier from a box fan.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/25/g-s1-24534/wildfire-app-watch-duty-firefighting\">\u003cstrong>Trying to stay safe in a wildfire? There’s an app that can help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ways to support the response and recovery:\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/how-to-help-la-fire-victims\">\u003cstrong>Want to help fire victims? Here’s what experts say does the most good and places seeking volunteers.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/wildfire-help-donate-volunteer\">\u003cstrong>Wildfire donations and volunteering: How and where to help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/cheat-sheet-what-to-do-if-you-need-to-make-a-fire-insurance-claim\">\u003cstrong>Share: These are the steps fire victims need to take to make an insurance claim.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/\">\u003cem>LAist’s coverage\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the latest.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The rare, National Weather Service-issued PDS warning is for 'extremely rare and dangerous fire weather conditions that have previously led to large and dangerous deadly wildfires.' Here are some other terms to know.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A “particularly dangerous situation red flag warning” has been issued for parts of Southern California, as more extreme winds are expected to impact the region and deadly fires continue to burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rare, National Weather Service-issued PDS warning is for “\u003ca href=\"https://x.com/nwslosangeles/status/1879099654337667553?s=12&t=zqhVQvPMIcoxuuo4LPBNMw\">extremely rare and dangerous fire weather conditions\u003c/a> that have previously led to large and dangerous deadly wildfires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In effect for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties through noon Wednesday, the PDS red flag warning signals that “this setup is about as bad as it gets,” \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/nwslosangeles/status/1878882840492044401?s=12&t=zqhVQvPMIcoxuuo4LPBNMw\">the NWS says\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, as member station LAist reports, the PDS red flag warning has already been issued \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/cheat-sheet-what-is-a-pds-weather-fire-talk\">a few other times in recent months\u003c/a> — an indication of the extreme weather Southern California is facing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “particularly dangerous situation” term was first used in the 1980s as guidance for tornado watches, says Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the NWS Weather Prediction Center. Since then, it’s been used for other hazards, such as flash flood watches, to “signal more extreme events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the ongoing fires in Southern California, a PDS red flag warning means that “the risk of damage and loss of life is high,” Chenard tells NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A regular warning already indicates a significant hazard, Chenard says. “But when you see the PDS term attached to it, it’s even a level beyond that. So, now the threat to life and property is even more extreme.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Multiple fires have been burning across Los Angeles and Ventura counties since last week, fueled in part by extremely dry conditions, gusty winds and low humidity. The Eaton, Palisades and Hurst fires have scorched more than 38,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are a few more terms related to the wildfires to understand:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022125\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022125\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-40-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A firefighter drags a hose during the Palisades Fire on Jan. 8, 2025, in Malibu, Los Angeles County. \u003ccite>(Eric Thayer/Getty Images North America)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Red flag warning:\u003c/strong> A \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/mqt/redflagtips\">red flag warning\u003c/a> means there are conditions for an increased risk of fire: a combination of very low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds. More on \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/what-is-a-red-flag-warning-fire-nws\">red flag warnings\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/cheat-sheet-what-is-a-pds-weather-fire-talk\">PDS warnings\u003c/a> from LAist.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Santa Ana winds:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/08/nx-s1-5252535/palisades-fire-california-los-angeles-santa-ana-winds\">Winds with powerful gusts\u003c/a> that sometimes exceed hurricane-force winds. They are caused by high pressure over the desert Southwest and push through the mountain passages in Southern California toward an area of lower pressure off the Pacific coast. \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/08/nx-s1-5252535/palisades-fire-california-los-angeles-santa-ana-winds\">More on the Santa Ana winds\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Evacuation Warning:\u003c/strong> There is “impending danger” to life or property, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://news.caloes.ca.gov/know-the-difference-what-evacuation-warnings-and-orders-mean/\">California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services\u003c/a>. A person should also expect an order to evacuate will follow shortly after.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Evacuation Order:\u003c/strong> The office also says there is an “immediate threat” to one’s life and people within an evacuation zone should leave immediately. \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/evacuation-orders-warnings-what-they-mean-emergency-wildfire-earthquake\">More on evacuation warnings and orders from LAist\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Containment:\u003c/strong> Several factors determine how much of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/12/21/572305828/what-does-containing-a-fire-really-mean\">fire has been contained\u003c/a>. Rather than describing how much of a fire has been put out, it refers to how much of a perimeter firefighters have created around a fire to prevent it from spreading. \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/what-is-fire-containment\">More on containment from LAist\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Prescribed burns:\u003c/strong> Also called prescribed fires, they are controlled fires used as a tool in firefighting to help prevent forest fires from burning out of control, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/prescribed-fire#:~:text=Prescribed%20fires%2C%20also%20known%20as,ecosystems%20that%20depend%20on%20fire.\">U.S. Forest Service\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021125/la-fires-renew-debate-over-prescribed-burns-and-fire-preparedness-in-california\">More on the debate over prescribed burns from member station KQED\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>How to help and stay safe\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Resources to help stay safe:\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/authorities-ask-residents-to-evacuate-when-ordered-warned\">\u003cstrong>With fire danger still high, authorities implore you to follow evacuation orders.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/dos-donts-after-wildfire\">\u003cstrong>What to do — and not do — when you get home after a fire evacuation.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/10/nx-s1-5256230/smoke-home-air-purifier-box-fan\"> \u003cstrong>Is smoke in your home? Here’s how to make an air purifier from a box fan.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/25/g-s1-24534/wildfire-app-watch-duty-firefighting\">\u003cstrong>Trying to stay safe in a wildfire? There’s an app that can help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ways to support the response and recovery:\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/how-to-help-la-fire-victims\">\u003cstrong>Want to help fire victims? Here’s what experts say does the most good and places seeking volunteers.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/wildfire-help-donate-volunteer\">\u003cstrong>Wildfire donations and volunteering: How and where to help.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n➡️ \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/cheat-sheet-what-to-do-if-you-need-to-make-a-fire-insurance-claim\">\u003cstrong>Share: These are the steps fire victims need to take to make an insurance claim.\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/\">\u003cem>LAist’s coverage\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the latest.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "the-california-wildfires-could-be-leaving-deeper-inequality-in-their-wake",
"title": "Altadena Was Home to a Diverse, Vibrant Community. The Fires May Have Destroyed That",
"publishDate": 1736884805,
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"headTitle": "Altadena Was Home to a Diverse, Vibrant Community. The Fires May Have Destroyed That | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The sight of celebrity mansions and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/landmarks-destroyed-california-wildfires-135b5d227f3ea1b5b9f877b48e3bbdb9\">movie landmarks\u003c/a> reduced to ashes can make it seem like the wildfires roaring through the Los Angeles area affected a constellation of movie stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a drive \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-wildfires-southern-california-c5826e0ab8db965cb2814132ff54ee6f\">through the charred neighborhoods\u003c/a> around Altadena shows that the fires also burned through a remarkable haven for generations of Black families avoiding discriminatory housing practices elsewhere. They have been communities of racial and economic diversity, where many people own their own homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some now fear the most destructive fires in California’s history have altered that for good. Recovery and rebuilding may be out of reach for many, and the pressures of gentrification could be renewed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Samantha Santoro, 22, a first-generation college student at Cal Poly Pomona, remembered being annoyed when the initial news coverage of the wildfires focused more on celebrities. She and her sister, who attends UC Berkeley, worry how their Mexican immigrant parents and working-class neighbors who lost their homes in Altadena will move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have like, ‘Oh, I’ll just go to my second home and stay there,’” Santoro said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The landlord of their family’s two-bedroom house with a pool had never increased the $1,650 rent, making it possible for the Santoros to affordably raise their daughters. Now, they’re temporarily staying with a relative in Pasadena. The family has renters insurance but not much else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s hard to believe that you have nothing,” Santoro said, through tears, thinking of her parents. “Everything that they ever worked for was in that house.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Altadena had been a mix of tiny bungalows and magnificent mansions. The community of 42,000 includes blue-collar families, artists, entertainment industry workers and white-collar ones. About 58% of residents are non-white, with one-fourth of them Hispanic and nearly a fifth Black, according to Census data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of burned Altadena Church and Chevron gas station as greater Los Angeles fire continue, in Altadena, Los Angeles County, on Jan. 13, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During the Civil Rights era, Altadena became a rare land of opportunity for Black Americans to reach the middle class without the discriminatory practices of denying them access to credit. They kept homes within the family and helped others to flourish. Today, the Black homeownership rate there is at 81.5%, almost double the national rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s impressive, considering 92% of the 15,000 residences in Altadena are single-family homes, according to the 2023 Census American Community Survey. The median income is over $129,000. Just over 7% of residents live in poverty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victoria Knapp, chair of the Altadena Town Council, worries that the fires have irreparably changed the landscape for these families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Someone is going to buy it and develop who knows what on it. And that is going to change the character of Altadena,” Knapp said, adding that those with fewer resources will be disproportionately hurt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family of Kenneth Snowden, 57, was one of the Black families able to purchase a home in 1962. That house, as well as the one Snowden bought almost 20 years ago, are both gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He is challenging state and federal officials to help all fire-affected communities fairly because “your $40 million home is no different than my $2 million home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Snowden wants the ability to acquire home loans with 0% interest. “Give us the ability to rebuild, restart our lives,” he said. “If you can spend billions of dollars fighting a war, you can spend a billion dollars to help us get back where we were at.”[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12022028,news_12021954,news_12021019\"]Shawn Brown lost not only her home but also the public charter school she founded in Altadena. She had a message for fellow Black homeowners who might be tempted with offers for their property: “I would tell them to stand strong, rebuild, continue the generational progress of African-Americans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and other staff at Pasadena Rosebud Academy are trying to raise money to rebuild while looking at temporary sites in churches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even some churches have burned. At Altadena Baptist Church, the bell tower is pretty much the only thing still standing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Rev. George Van Alstine and others are trying to help more than 10 church members who lost homes with needs like navigating insurance and federal aid. The pastor is worried the fires will lead to gentrification, with Black parishioners, who make up half the congregation, paying the price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing a number of families who are probably going to have to move out of the area because rebuilding in Altadena will be too expensive for them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 32-year-old photographer Daniela Dawson, who had been working two jobs to meet the $2,200 rent for her studio apartment, fled the wildfires with her Hyundai SUV and her cat, Lola. She lost almost everything else, including thousands of dollars of photography gear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She did not have renter’s insurance. “Obviously, now I’m thinking about it. Wish I had it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dawson plans to return to Arizona, where she lived previously and regroup. But she likely won’t be returning to Altadena.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Tang reported from Sunnyvale, California. Kelleher reported from Honolulu. Associated Press deputy director Kim Johnson in Chicago, graphics artist Philip Holm in New York and data reporter Angeliki Kastanis in Los Angeles contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Altadena was a haven for generations of Black families, many of whom owned their own homes after moving here decades ago to avoid discriminatory housing practices elsewhere. Some now fear the fires may have destroyed that dream.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The sight of celebrity mansions and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/landmarks-destroyed-california-wildfires-135b5d227f3ea1b5b9f877b48e3bbdb9\">movie landmarks\u003c/a> reduced to ashes can make it seem like the wildfires roaring through the Los Angeles area affected a constellation of movie stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a drive \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-wildfires-southern-california-c5826e0ab8db965cb2814132ff54ee6f\">through the charred neighborhoods\u003c/a> around Altadena shows that the fires also burned through a remarkable haven for generations of Black families avoiding discriminatory housing practices elsewhere. They have been communities of racial and economic diversity, where many people own their own homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some now fear the most destructive fires in California’s history have altered that for good. Recovery and rebuilding may be out of reach for many, and the pressures of gentrification could be renewed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Samantha Santoro, 22, a first-generation college student at Cal Poly Pomona, remembered being annoyed when the initial news coverage of the wildfires focused more on celebrities. She and her sister, who attends UC Berkeley, worry how their Mexican immigrant parents and working-class neighbors who lost their homes in Altadena will move forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have like, ‘Oh, I’ll just go to my second home and stay there,’” Santoro said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The landlord of their family’s two-bedroom house with a pool had never increased the $1,650 rent, making it possible for the Santoros to affordably raise their daughters. Now, they’re temporarily staying with a relative in Pasadena. The family has renters insurance but not much else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s hard to believe that you have nothing,” Santoro said, through tears, thinking of her parents. “Everything that they ever worked for was in that house.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Altadena had been a mix of tiny bungalows and magnificent mansions. The community of 42,000 includes blue-collar families, artists, entertainment industry workers and white-collar ones. About 58% of residents are non-white, with one-fourth of them Hispanic and nearly a fifth Black, according to Census data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12022064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12022064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193297850-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of burned Altadena Church and Chevron gas station as greater Los Angeles fire continue, in Altadena, Los Angeles County, on Jan. 13, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During the Civil Rights era, Altadena became a rare land of opportunity for Black Americans to reach the middle class without the discriminatory practices of denying them access to credit. They kept homes within the family and helped others to flourish. Today, the Black homeownership rate there is at 81.5%, almost double the national rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s impressive, considering 92% of the 15,000 residences in Altadena are single-family homes, according to the 2023 Census American Community Survey. The median income is over $129,000. Just over 7% of residents live in poverty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victoria Knapp, chair of the Altadena Town Council, worries that the fires have irreparably changed the landscape for these families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Someone is going to buy it and develop who knows what on it. And that is going to change the character of Altadena,” Knapp said, adding that those with fewer resources will be disproportionately hurt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The family of Kenneth Snowden, 57, was one of the Black families able to purchase a home in 1962. That house, as well as the one Snowden bought almost 20 years ago, are both gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He is challenging state and federal officials to help all fire-affected communities fairly because “your $40 million home is no different than my $2 million home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Snowden wants the ability to acquire home loans with 0% interest. “Give us the ability to rebuild, restart our lives,” he said. “If you can spend billions of dollars fighting a war, you can spend a billion dollars to help us get back where we were at.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Shawn Brown lost not only her home but also the public charter school she founded in Altadena. She had a message for fellow Black homeowners who might be tempted with offers for their property: “I would tell them to stand strong, rebuild, continue the generational progress of African-Americans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and other staff at Pasadena Rosebud Academy are trying to raise money to rebuild while looking at temporary sites in churches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even some churches have burned. At Altadena Baptist Church, the bell tower is pretty much the only thing still standing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Rev. George Van Alstine and others are trying to help more than 10 church members who lost homes with needs like navigating insurance and federal aid. The pastor is worried the fires will lead to gentrification, with Black parishioners, who make up half the congregation, paying the price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re seeing a number of families who are probably going to have to move out of the area because rebuilding in Altadena will be too expensive for them,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 32-year-old photographer Daniela Dawson, who had been working two jobs to meet the $2,200 rent for her studio apartment, fled the wildfires with her Hyundai SUV and her cat, Lola. She lost almost everything else, including thousands of dollars of photography gear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She did not have renter’s insurance. “Obviously, now I’m thinking about it. Wish I had it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dawson plans to return to Arizona, where she lived previously and regroup. But she likely won’t be returning to Altadena.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Tang reported from Sunnyvale, California. Kelleher reported from Honolulu. Associated Press deputy director Kim Johnson in Chicago, graphics artist Philip Holm in New York and data reporter Angeliki Kastanis in Los Angeles contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "californias-reliance-on-incarcerated-firefighters-sparks-debate-over-low-pay-and-dangerous-work",
"title": "California's Reliance on Incarcerated Firefighters Sparks Debate Over Low Pay and Dangerous Work",
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"content": "\u003cp>About 800 incarcerated firefighters are working with emergency responders to battle the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/wildfire\">Los Angeles wildfires\u003c/a> as part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Fire Camp Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 2,000 incarcerated people regularly take part in the program, which trains incarcerees to work with the California Department of Forestry to respond to fire-related emergencies like the deadly fires that have burned more than 9,000 structures this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to CDCR, 783 Fire Camp firefighters have been cutting fire lines and removing fuel from behind structures to slow fire spread. Participants in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/facility-locator/conservation-camps/faq-conservation-fire-camp-program/\">firefighting program\u003c/a> are paid between $5.80 and $10.24 per day. On days when the firefighters are participating in an active emergency, the rate goes up by $1.[aside postID=news_12021019 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/CAWildfireSoCal4AP-1020x680.jpg']California has relied on incarcerated firefighters to combat wildfires \u003ca href=\"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-history-of-californias-inmate-firefighter-program-180980662/\">since the mid-1900s\u003c/a>, especially during World War II when many professional firefighters and fire crew members were serving in the war. The state has received criticism in the past for taking advantage of cheap, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12013392/californians-voted-against-outlawing-slavery-why-is-prop-6-failing\">incarcerated labor\u003c/a>. Proposition 6, which would have banned the use of forced prison labor, failed in November, with 53.8% of voters opposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can’t turn and say the prison system is providing this labor that we need because there are so many wildfires, and so it must remain that way,” Lindsey Feldman, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Memphis, said. “Instead, we should be asking why are there so many fires and why have we as a society all agreed that prison labor is the effective way to stop it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CDCR’s firefighting program, in particular, has come under scrutiny due to the dangers associated with wildfires, which can quickly change direction. Incarcerated firefighters are more likely to get injured on the job compared to their professional counterparts, according to a report released by \u003ca href=\"https://time.com/5457637/inmate-firefighters-injuries-death/\">\u003cem>Time\u003c/em>\u003c/a> in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Feldman, who specializes in identity, labor and incarceration, said the use of incarcerated labor in California and in other states will always be exploitative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021733\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021733\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391.jpg\" alt=\"Firefighters work through dirt and dust as they frantically dig a containment line to hold off a fire.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"733\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391-800x573.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391-1020x730.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391-160x115.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inmate firefighters dig a containment line as they battle the Palisades Fire on Jan. 10, 2025 in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There is no justification for the pay being as little as it is for the work that is being performed,” Feldman said. “There’s no question that this is risky work — dangerous — and people in prison tend to be more at risk of workplace injury than non-incarcerated people just because oversight in general is less than it is out of prison.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Participants in CDCR’s program must meet certain security requirements before going through an extensive training program. The firefighters are stationed across 35 minimum-security facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I never knew anything about wildland fires until I actually went to Fire Camp, and I grew to love it,” said Royal Ramey, cofounder and chief executive officer of The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, a nonprofit that helps formerly incarcerated people find work as firefighters.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12017770,news_12021125,science_1965575\"]“It was a lot of camaraderie and we did gain the knowledge, skills and abilities to do it, but we didn’t know how we could move forward in terms of pursuing a career in it. It was definitely difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramey was 20 when he was sentenced to six years at the California Correctional Institution. Ramey decided to volunteer with the Fire Camp, a decision that changed his life, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said serving as a firefighter gave him and others a sense of purpose, as well as the skills that California needs in order to combat climate change-related disasters such as wildfires. But it is difficult for formerly incarcerated firefighters to find jobs in forestry and fire management because of their convictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While California officials have recently passed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11837644/newsom-signs-law-paving-way-for-former-inmates-to-become-professional-firefighters\">reforms\u003c/a> expanding opportunities for former inmates, Ramey noted that barriers to employment persist, a struggle which inspired his nonprofit. He argued that Fire Camp could be part of the solution, and said that many people who went through fire training are equipped to help in emergencies once their sentences are finished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They can contribute to the labor shortage we have here, and why not give them the opportunity to become wildland firefighters to support the state and to be able to get a family and a career,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Hundreds of incarcerated firefighters are risking their lives battling Los Angeles wildfires, raising questions about California’s low wages, tough conditions and post-release hardships.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>About 800 incarcerated firefighters are working with emergency responders to battle the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/wildfire\">Los Angeles wildfires\u003c/a> as part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Fire Camp Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 2,000 incarcerated people regularly take part in the program, which trains incarcerees to work with the California Department of Forestry to respond to fire-related emergencies like the deadly fires that have burned more than 9,000 structures this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to CDCR, 783 Fire Camp firefighters have been cutting fire lines and removing fuel from behind structures to slow fire spread. Participants in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/facility-locator/conservation-camps/faq-conservation-fire-camp-program/\">firefighting program\u003c/a> are paid between $5.80 and $10.24 per day. On days when the firefighters are participating in an active emergency, the rate goes up by $1.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>California has relied on incarcerated firefighters to combat wildfires \u003ca href=\"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-history-of-californias-inmate-firefighter-program-180980662/\">since the mid-1900s\u003c/a>, especially during World War II when many professional firefighters and fire crew members were serving in the war. The state has received criticism in the past for taking advantage of cheap, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12013392/californians-voted-against-outlawing-slavery-why-is-prop-6-failing\">incarcerated labor\u003c/a>. Proposition 6, which would have banned the use of forced prison labor, failed in November, with 53.8% of voters opposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can’t turn and say the prison system is providing this labor that we need because there are so many wildfires, and so it must remain that way,” Lindsey Feldman, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Memphis, said. “Instead, we should be asking why are there so many fires and why have we as a society all agreed that prison labor is the effective way to stop it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CDCR’s firefighting program, in particular, has come under scrutiny due to the dangers associated with wildfires, which can quickly change direction. Incarcerated firefighters are more likely to get injured on the job compared to their professional counterparts, according to a report released by \u003ca href=\"https://time.com/5457637/inmate-firefighters-injuries-death/\">\u003cem>Time\u003c/em>\u003c/a> in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Feldman, who specializes in identity, labor and incarceration, said the use of incarcerated labor in California and in other states will always be exploitative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021733\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021733\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391.jpg\" alt=\"Firefighters work through dirt and dust as they frantically dig a containment line to hold off a fire.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"733\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391-800x573.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391-1020x730.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2193449391-160x115.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inmate firefighters dig a containment line as they battle the Palisades Fire on Jan. 10, 2025 in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There is no justification for the pay being as little as it is for the work that is being performed,” Feldman said. “There’s no question that this is risky work — dangerous — and people in prison tend to be more at risk of workplace injury than non-incarcerated people just because oversight in general is less than it is out of prison.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Participants in CDCR’s program must meet certain security requirements before going through an extensive training program. The firefighters are stationed across 35 minimum-security facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I never knew anything about wildland fires until I actually went to Fire Camp, and I grew to love it,” said Royal Ramey, cofounder and chief executive officer of The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, a nonprofit that helps formerly incarcerated people find work as firefighters.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It was a lot of camaraderie and we did gain the knowledge, skills and abilities to do it, but we didn’t know how we could move forward in terms of pursuing a career in it. It was definitely difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramey was 20 when he was sentenced to six years at the California Correctional Institution. Ramey decided to volunteer with the Fire Camp, a decision that changed his life, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said serving as a firefighter gave him and others a sense of purpose, as well as the skills that California needs in order to combat climate change-related disasters such as wildfires. But it is difficult for formerly incarcerated firefighters to find jobs in forestry and fire management because of their convictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While California officials have recently passed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11837644/newsom-signs-law-paving-way-for-former-inmates-to-become-professional-firefighters\">reforms\u003c/a> expanding opportunities for former inmates, Ramey noted that barriers to employment persist, a struggle which inspired his nonprofit. He argued that Fire Camp could be part of the solution, and said that many people who went through fire training are equipped to help in emergencies once their sentences are finished.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They can contribute to the labor shortage we have here, and why not give them the opportunity to become wildland firefighters to support the state and to be able to get a family and a career,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Maps: Tracking the Los Angeles Wildfires and Evacuation Zones",
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"content": "\u003cp>The following wildfire and evacuation maps are updated regularly. In the active wildfires map, locations are sourced from \u003ca href=\"//www.fire.ca.gov/\">Cal Fire\u003c/a>, and perimeter data from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nifc.gov/\">National Interagency Fire Center\u003c/a>. Click on each fire icon for more incident-specific detail. See current wind conditions (from NOAA) by clicking on the layers menu at top left. The evacuation map below that is sourced from \u003ca href=\"https://lacounty.gov/emergency/\">Los Angeles County\u003c/a> emergency services and \u003ca href=\"https://protect.genasys.com/search?z=8.499351180105167&latlon=33.951402902912164%2C-118.23152715537265\">Genasys\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If maps are not loading properly on your device, view the wildfire map \u003ca href=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=c7285ba9ce524bbba6c689e96d013112\">here\u003c/a> and evacuation map \u003ca href=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=a687819904fe44e28043c523c9dd0997\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%;\" align=\"center\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=c7285ba9ce524bbba6c689e96d013112\" width=\"1000\" height=\"650\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%;\" align=\"center\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=a687819904fe44e28043c523c9dd0997\" width=\"1000\" height=\"650\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Two interactive maps show the extent of the wildfires and also the evacuation zones for the Los Angeles area. These maps will be updated regularly.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The following wildfire and evacuation maps are updated regularly. In the active wildfires map, locations are sourced from \u003ca href=\"//www.fire.ca.gov/\">Cal Fire\u003c/a>, and perimeter data from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nifc.gov/\">National Interagency Fire Center\u003c/a>. Click on each fire icon for more incident-specific detail. See current wind conditions (from NOAA) by clicking on the layers menu at top left. The evacuation map below that is sourced from \u003ca href=\"https://lacounty.gov/emergency/\">Los Angeles County\u003c/a> emergency services and \u003ca href=\"https://protect.genasys.com/search?z=8.499351180105167&latlon=33.951402902912164%2C-118.23152715537265\">Genasys\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If maps are not loading properly on your device, view the wildfire map \u003ca href=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=c7285ba9ce524bbba6c689e96d013112\">here\u003c/a> and evacuation map \u003ca href=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=a687819904fe44e28043c523c9dd0997\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%;\" align=\"center\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=c7285ba9ce524bbba6c689e96d013112\" width=\"1000\" height=\"650\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%;\" align=\"center\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://kqedsf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=a687819904fe44e28043c523c9dd0997\" width=\"1000\" height=\"650\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "firefighters-race-to-contain-los-angeles-wildfires-with-menacing-winds-forecast-to-return",
"title": "Firefighters Race to Contain Los Angeles Wildfires With Menacing Winds Forecast to Return",
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"content": "\u003cp>Firefighters raced Saturday to cut off spreading wildfires before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward the world famous J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A fierce battle against the flames was underway in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific coast, where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill. Firefighters on the ground used hoses in an attempt to beat back leaping flames as thick smoke blanketed the chaparral-covered hillside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a briefing, CalFire Operations Chief Christian Litz said a main focus Saturday would be the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area, not far from the UCLA campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to be aggressive out there,” Litz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the L.A. area “had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak, and even more Angelenos evacuated due to the northeast expansion of the Palisades Fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only light breezes were fanning the flames, but the National Weather Service warned that locally strong Santa Ana winds — the nemesis of firefighters — could soon return. Those winds have been blamed for turning wildfires into infernos that leveled entire \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-pacific-palisades-wildfires-los-angeles-4b67b7f29d0d6eb7321a52ef60c17d60\">neighborhoods\u003c/a> in the L.A. area, where there has been no significant rainfall in more than \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/fire-devastation-climate-change-santa-ana-winds-a46e2bb6785b1e325f6076fb22c8fcc5\">eight months.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fire also was threatening to jump over Interstate 405, a main traffic artery through the area, which could become a gateway to densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021698\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021698\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917.jpg\" alt=\"A city with smoke in the nearby hills.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, on Jan. 11, 2025. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the Los Angeles fires, spread toward previously untouched neighborhoods Jan. 11, forcing new evacuations and dimming hopes that the disaster was coming under control. \u003ccite>(Agustin Paullier/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">The search for bodies continues\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Even as the fires spread, the grim work of sifting through the devastation continued Saturday, with teams conducting systematic grid searches with cadaver dogs, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. A family assistance center also was being set up in Pasadena, said Luna, who urged residents to abide by curfews.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12021661,news_12021440,news_12021203\"]“We have people driving up and around trying to get in just to look. Stay away,” he said. “We understand that this is extremely stressful and absolutely challenging, but we appreciate the public’s cooperation as we work together to get through this crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fires have consumed about 56 square miles — an area larger than San Francisco. Tens of thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and new evacuations were ordered Friday evening in an area that includes part of Interstate 405 after a flare up on the eastern side of the Palisades Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the fires first began popping up around a densely populated, 25-mile expanse north of downtown L.A., they have burned more than \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-wildfire-structure-damage-3f319dfaa36e583c06c8d49bd835084e\">12,000 structures\u003c/a>, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-fires-possible-causes-6112488f835e45f53c67d4d03d7a1e4f\">No cause\u003c/a> has been identified yet for the largest fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fires are still burning but early estimates indicate the losses so far could make the wildfires the nation’s \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-natural-disasters-losses-insurance-recovery-d2f24e44d75503118643151eaee947fb\">costliest ever\u003c/a>. A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021699\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021699\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view of mountains near a city with smoke billowing out of a valley.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"621\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-800x485.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-1020x619.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-160x97.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helicopter aerial view of the Palisades fire burning in the Mountain Gate Country\u003cbr>Club area with smoke visible from the San Fernando Valley on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Survivors return to the wreckage of their homes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On Friday, many residents returned in a state of shock. For some, it was a first look at the stark reality of what was lost as the region of 13 million people grapples with the ominous challenge of overcoming the disaster and rebuilding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bridget Berg, who was at work when she watched television coverage of her house in Altadena erupt in flames, came back for the first time with her family two days later “just to make it real.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their feet crunched across the broken bits of what had been their home for 16 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her kids sifted through debris on the sidewalk, finding a clay pot and a few keepsakes as they searched for Japanese wood prints they hoped to recover. Her husband pulled his hand out of rubble near the still-standing fireplace, holding up a piece of petrified wood handed down by his grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021703\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021703\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094.jpg\" alt=\"Two people seen from behind hug as they stand amid the ruins of a destroyed and burnt out former house.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of burned houses at Malibu Beach that burned during Palisades wildfire in Malibu, Los Angeles County, on Jan. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s OK. It’s OK,” Berg said as much to herself as others as she took stock of the destruction, remembering the deck and pool from which her family watched fireworks. “It’s not like we just lost our house — everybody lost their house.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some residents sifted through rubble for keepsakes, officials urged them not to, warning that the ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re kicking that stuff up, you’re breathing it in,” said Chris Thomas, a spokesman for the unified incident command at the Palisades Fire. “All of that stuff is toxic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents will be allowed to return — with protective gear — after damage teams have evaluated their properties, Thomas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">City leadership accused of skimping on firefighting funds\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Allegations of leadership failures and political blame have begun and so have investigations. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million-gallon reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting. She also criticized the lack of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least 11 people have been killed, five in the Palisades Fire and six in the Eaton Fire, according to the L.A. County medical examiner’s office. Officials said they expected that number to rise as cadaver dogs search leveled neighborhoods and crews assess the devastation, and on Friday authorities established a center where people could report the missing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021701\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021701\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162.jpg\" alt=\"A room with a man and a woman and a screen with three people on it.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">US President Joe Biden (right) and Vice President Kamala Harris listen during a briefing on the federal response to the Los Angeles wildfires as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell (top left), California Governor Gavin Newsom (top right) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appear virtually in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Jan. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The disaster took homes from everyone — \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-fires-celebrities-homes-lost-6cdc06b85b737c79739318a853e64642\">from waiters to movie stars\u003c/a>. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage, but private firms have estimated it will climb into the tens of billions. The Walt Disney Co. announced Friday it will donate $15 million to respond to the fires and help rebuild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The flames hit schools, churches, a \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-destroyed-churches-synagogue-mosque-eba09c35bd7c851c57574171aa4ed34d\">synagogue\u003c/a>, libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/landmarks-destroyed-california-wildfires-135b5d227f3ea1b5b9f877b48e3bbdb9\">local landmarks\u003c/a> including the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and a Queen Anne-style mansion in Altadena that was commissioned by wealthy mapmaker Andrew McNally and had stood since 1887.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Progress made on fighting the Eaton fire\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Firefighters for the first time made progress Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has burned more than 7,000 structures. Officials said most evacuation orders for the area had been lifted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LA Mayor Karen Bass, who \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/mayor-karen-bass-la-fires-leadership-99e52cf69cc656ee7e0328c6b609be74\">faces a critical test of her leadership\u003c/a> as her city endures its greatest crisis in decades, said several smaller fires also were stopped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crews earlier Friday had been gaining ground on the Palisades Fire, which burned 5,300 structures and is the most destructive in L.A.’s history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021705\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021705\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242.jpg\" alt=\"An armored vehicle in the middle of a street with a national guardsman next to it, in a residential street.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California National Guard secure the Eaton fire evacuation zone in Altadena on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 to secure the area from looting. \u003ccite>(Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California National Guard troops arrived on the streets of Altadena before dawn to help protect property in the fire evacuation zone, and evening curfews were in effect to prevent looting after several earlier arrests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfire-f473e0423125c92c693b9c368ca20532\">level of devastation is jarring\u003c/a> even in a state that regularly confronts massive wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Meghan and Harry visit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On Friday, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan visited the Pasadena Convention Center to help hand out food to evacuees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live about 90 miles north of the Los Angeles area, also listed organizations supporting fire victims on their website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021700\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021700\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three people talking amid ruins.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex (right) speaks with Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo (center) and Doug Goodwin, whose home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, LA County, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ethan Swope/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writer Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Firefighters are racing to cut off spreading wildfires before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward the world famous J. Paul Getty Museum and UCLA. ",
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"title": "Firefighters Race to Contain Los Angeles Wildfires With Menacing Winds Forecast to Return | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Firefighters raced Saturday to cut off spreading wildfires before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward the world famous J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings left more homeowners on edge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A fierce battle against the flames was underway in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities not far from the Pacific coast, where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill. Firefighters on the ground used hoses in an attempt to beat back leaping flames as thick smoke blanketed the chaparral-covered hillside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a briefing, CalFire Operations Chief Christian Litz said a main focus Saturday would be the Palisades Fire burning in the canyon area, not far from the UCLA campus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to be aggressive out there,” Litz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the L.A. area “had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak, and even more Angelenos evacuated due to the northeast expansion of the Palisades Fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only light breezes were fanning the flames, but the National Weather Service warned that locally strong Santa Ana winds — the nemesis of firefighters — could soon return. Those winds have been blamed for turning wildfires into infernos that leveled entire \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-pacific-palisades-wildfires-los-angeles-4b67b7f29d0d6eb7321a52ef60c17d60\">neighborhoods\u003c/a> in the L.A. area, where there has been no significant rainfall in more than \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/fire-devastation-climate-change-santa-ana-winds-a46e2bb6785b1e325f6076fb22c8fcc5\">eight months.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fire also was threatening to jump over Interstate 405, a main traffic artery through the area, which could become a gateway to densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021698\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021698\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917.jpg\" alt=\"A city with smoke in the nearby hills.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192816917-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, on Jan. 11, 2025. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the Los Angeles fires, spread toward previously untouched neighborhoods Jan. 11, forcing new evacuations and dimming hopes that the disaster was coming under control. \u003ccite>(Agustin Paullier/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">The search for bodies continues\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Even as the fires spread, the grim work of sifting through the devastation continued Saturday, with teams conducting systematic grid searches with cadaver dogs, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. A family assistance center also was being set up in Pasadena, said Luna, who urged residents to abide by curfews.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We have people driving up and around trying to get in just to look. Stay away,” he said. “We understand that this is extremely stressful and absolutely challenging, but we appreciate the public’s cooperation as we work together to get through this crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fires have consumed about 56 square miles — an area larger than San Francisco. Tens of thousands of people remained under evacuation orders and new evacuations were ordered Friday evening in an area that includes part of Interstate 405 after a flare up on the eastern side of the Palisades Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the fires first began popping up around a densely populated, 25-mile expanse north of downtown L.A., they have burned more than \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-wildfire-structure-damage-3f319dfaa36e583c06c8d49bd835084e\">12,000 structures\u003c/a>, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-fires-possible-causes-6112488f835e45f53c67d4d03d7a1e4f\">No cause\u003c/a> has been identified yet for the largest fires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fires are still burning but early estimates indicate the losses so far could make the wildfires the nation’s \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-natural-disasters-losses-insurance-recovery-d2f24e44d75503118643151eaee947fb\">costliest ever\u003c/a>. A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021699\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021699\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view of mountains near a city with smoke billowing out of a valley.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"621\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-800x485.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-1020x619.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192770618-160x97.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Helicopter aerial view of the Palisades fire burning in the Mountain Gate Country\u003cbr>Club area with smoke visible from the San Fernando Valley on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Survivors return to the wreckage of their homes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On Friday, many residents returned in a state of shock. For some, it was a first look at the stark reality of what was lost as the region of 13 million people grapples with the ominous challenge of overcoming the disaster and rebuilding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bridget Berg, who was at work when she watched television coverage of her house in Altadena erupt in flames, came back for the first time with her family two days later “just to make it real.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their feet crunched across the broken bits of what had been their home for 16 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her kids sifted through debris on the sidewalk, finding a clay pot and a few keepsakes as they searched for Japanese wood prints they hoped to recover. Her husband pulled his hand out of rubble near the still-standing fireplace, holding up a piece of petrified wood handed down by his grandmother.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021703\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021703\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094.jpg\" alt=\"Two people seen from behind hug as they stand amid the ruins of a destroyed and burnt out former house.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192691094-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of burned houses at Malibu Beach that burned during Palisades wildfire in Malibu, Los Angeles County, on Jan. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s OK. It’s OK,” Berg said as much to herself as others as she took stock of the destruction, remembering the deck and pool from which her family watched fireworks. “It’s not like we just lost our house — everybody lost their house.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While some residents sifted through rubble for keepsakes, officials urged them not to, warning that the ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re kicking that stuff up, you’re breathing it in,” said Chris Thomas, a spokesman for the unified incident command at the Palisades Fire. “All of that stuff is toxic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents will be allowed to return — with protective gear — after damage teams have evaluated their properties, Thomas said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">City leadership accused of skimping on firefighting funds\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Allegations of leadership failures and political blame have begun and so have investigations. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million-gallon reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting. She also criticized the lack of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least 11 people have been killed, five in the Palisades Fire and six in the Eaton Fire, according to the L.A. County medical examiner’s office. Officials said they expected that number to rise as cadaver dogs search leveled neighborhoods and crews assess the devastation, and on Friday authorities established a center where people could report the missing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021701\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021701\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162.jpg\" alt=\"A room with a man and a woman and a screen with three people on it.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192594162-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">US President Joe Biden (right) and Vice President Kamala Harris listen during a briefing on the federal response to the Los Angeles wildfires as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell (top left), California Governor Gavin Newsom (top right) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appear virtually in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Jan. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The disaster took homes from everyone — \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-fires-celebrities-homes-lost-6cdc06b85b737c79739318a853e64642\">from waiters to movie stars\u003c/a>. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage, but private firms have estimated it will climb into the tens of billions. The Walt Disney Co. announced Friday it will donate $15 million to respond to the fires and help rebuild.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The flames hit schools, churches, a \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-destroyed-churches-synagogue-mosque-eba09c35bd7c851c57574171aa4ed34d\">synagogue\u003c/a>, libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/landmarks-destroyed-california-wildfires-135b5d227f3ea1b5b9f877b48e3bbdb9\">local landmarks\u003c/a> including the Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and a Queen Anne-style mansion in Altadena that was commissioned by wealthy mapmaker Andrew McNally and had stood since 1887.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Progress made on fighting the Eaton fire\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Firefighters for the first time made progress Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has burned more than 7,000 structures. Officials said most evacuation orders for the area had been lifted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LA Mayor Karen Bass, who \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/mayor-karen-bass-la-fires-leadership-99e52cf69cc656ee7e0328c6b609be74\">faces a critical test of her leadership\u003c/a> as her city endures its greatest crisis in decades, said several smaller fires also were stopped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crews earlier Friday had been gaining ground on the Palisades Fire, which burned 5,300 structures and is the most destructive in L.A.’s history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021705\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021705\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242.jpg\" alt=\"An armored vehicle in the middle of a street with a national guardsman next to it, in a residential street.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/GettyImages-2192826242-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California National Guard secure the Eaton fire evacuation zone in Altadena on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 to secure the area from looting. \u003ccite>(Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California National Guard troops arrived on the streets of Altadena before dawn to help protect property in the fire evacuation zone, and evening curfews were in effect to prevent looting after several earlier arrests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfire-f473e0423125c92c693b9c368ca20532\">level of devastation is jarring\u003c/a> even in a state that regularly confronts massive wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Meghan and Harry visit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On Friday, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan visited the Pasadena Convention Center to help hand out food to evacuees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live about 90 miles north of the Los Angeles area, also listed organizations supporting fire victims on their website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021700\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021700\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Three people talking amid ruins.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/AP25011067373673-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex (right) speaks with Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo (center) and Doug Goodwin, whose home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Altadena, LA County, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ethan Swope/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writer Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Point Reyes Ranching Will All But End Under New Deal, Capping Decadeslong Conflict",
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"content": "\u003cp>After a decadeslong fight, the majority of ranching along the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/point-reyes\">Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a> will end in the next year and a half.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The settlement, announced Wednesday by the National Park Service, is the culmination of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936802/cattle-ranching-is-at-the-center-of-a-battle-brewing-in-point-reyes\">a decadeslong fight\u003c/a> between multigenerational ranching families on the seashore and environmental advocates who argued that their operations harm native grass and animal species. It will phase out a dozen ranches that have lined the North Bay shoreline since before the California Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal comes after three environmental groups sued the park service in 2022, faulting it for part of the ecological damage done by ranchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thanks to agreements between The Nature Conservancy and the closing ranch operations, the park’s future management will include additional opportunities for visitors, non-lethal management of native tule elk, and honors the co-stewardship agreement with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria,” Point Reyes National Seashore Superintendent Anne Altman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kevin Lunny, a third-generation rancher on the peninsula, said relations between the park service and the ranchers, who lease their land, had deteriorated over the past two decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though I knew it was coming, it’s super hard,” he said. “Even though deep down we believe it’s the right thing, and we did it voluntarily … we felt so much in a corner that we didn’t know what else to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three groups — Resource Renewal Institute (RRI), the Center for Biological Diversity and the Western Watersheds Project — \u003ca href=\"https://www.rri.org/newsroom/a-new-era-for-point-reyes\">sued the park service\u003c/a> in 2016 and 2022 over its decision to continue issuing leasing land to commercial beef and dairy ranches on the seashore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the nonprofit In Defense of Animals, the ranches dump millions of pounds of manure, millions of gallons of urine and tens of thousands of pounds of methane into the area, causing ecological damage. Tule elk have also been starved of resources and contracted diseases, the group said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11936879\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11936879\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/DSC5237-scaled-e1672877098790.jpg\" alt=\"Four male elk walk down a grassy hillside\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Once abundant along the Point Reyes National Seashore, tule elk will be able to roam freely when the majority of ranching ends in the next year and a half. \u003ccite>(Amanda Font/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Erik Molvar, the executive director of Western Watersheds Project, called the settlement a “major victory” for the tule elk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The elk will now have the ability to move freely throughout the national seashore … and expand their populations to a natural population level,” he said, noting that previously, fences had constricted their movements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the benefits will extend beyond the elk, too, Molvar said. While at least two ranches plan to continue operating, the 12 that close through the settlement will reduce the number of cattle in the area from more than 10,000 to around 200.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This reduction in grazing will help restore native coastal grasslands, he said, and give other native species dependent on those grasses a better chance to thrive. In turn, those native grasses should help streams see less sedimentation and erosion, improving salmon and steelhead runs, as well, he said. And, the public will get more access to expanded trails and camping sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Molvar said that despite the victory, he wasn’t breaking out the champagne.[aside postID=news_11936802 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/Cows-in-Point-Reyes-e1672879647911.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a compromise,” he said. “We had to accept some outcomes that we didn’t like in order to get the outcomes that we really wanted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The settlement will reduce the amount of land used for ranching by roughly 85%. Lessees leaving the seashore will split a sum of around $40 million, and employees on the ranches will divide about $2.5 million in relocation assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael Bell, director of protection at the Nature Conservancy in California, which was brought in to mediate and is footing the bill for the ranchers’ settlement, acknowledged the agreement is a profound cultural shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big transformative land use change,” he said. “There were all the emotions, but also a lot of pride that all the parties were able to get [to a solution], and a lot of determination to make this a success.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Lunny, however, the decision to leave the seashore is more bitter than sweet. As the ranchers, workers and their families relocate, the community that supports them will also be affected, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re losing our rural character,” Lunny said. “We know that our agreeing to this has profound repercussions on our community. And that’s what tugs at our hearts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Park Service will be responsible for overseeing the removal of cows and ranching infrastructure on roughly 16,000 acres of ranchland inside the national park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After a decadeslong fight, the majority of ranching along the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/point-reyes\">Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a> will end in the next year and a half.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The settlement, announced Wednesday by the National Park Service, is the culmination of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936802/cattle-ranching-is-at-the-center-of-a-battle-brewing-in-point-reyes\">a decadeslong fight\u003c/a> between multigenerational ranching families on the seashore and environmental advocates who argued that their operations harm native grass and animal species. It will phase out a dozen ranches that have lined the North Bay shoreline since before the California Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal comes after three environmental groups sued the park service in 2022, faulting it for part of the ecological damage done by ranchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thanks to agreements between The Nature Conservancy and the closing ranch operations, the park’s future management will include additional opportunities for visitors, non-lethal management of native tule elk, and honors the co-stewardship agreement with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria,” Point Reyes National Seashore Superintendent Anne Altman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kevin Lunny, a third-generation rancher on the peninsula, said relations between the park service and the ranchers, who lease their land, had deteriorated over the past two decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though I knew it was coming, it’s super hard,” he said. “Even though deep down we believe it’s the right thing, and we did it voluntarily … we felt so much in a corner that we didn’t know what else to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three groups — Resource Renewal Institute (RRI), the Center for Biological Diversity and the Western Watersheds Project — \u003ca href=\"https://www.rri.org/newsroom/a-new-era-for-point-reyes\">sued the park service\u003c/a> in 2016 and 2022 over its decision to continue issuing leasing land to commercial beef and dairy ranches on the seashore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the nonprofit In Defense of Animals, the ranches dump millions of pounds of manure, millions of gallons of urine and tens of thousands of pounds of methane into the area, causing ecological damage. Tule elk have also been starved of resources and contracted diseases, the group said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11936879\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11936879\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/DSC5237-scaled-e1672877098790.jpg\" alt=\"Four male elk walk down a grassy hillside\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Once abundant along the Point Reyes National Seashore, tule elk will be able to roam freely when the majority of ranching ends in the next year and a half. \u003ccite>(Amanda Font/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Erik Molvar, the executive director of Western Watersheds Project, called the settlement a “major victory” for the tule elk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The elk will now have the ability to move freely throughout the national seashore … and expand their populations to a natural population level,” he said, noting that previously, fences had constricted their movements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the benefits will extend beyond the elk, too, Molvar said. While at least two ranches plan to continue operating, the 12 that close through the settlement will reduce the number of cattle in the area from more than 10,000 to around 200.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This reduction in grazing will help restore native coastal grasslands, he said, and give other native species dependent on those grasses a better chance to thrive. In turn, those native grasses should help streams see less sedimentation and erosion, improving salmon and steelhead runs, as well, he said. And, the public will get more access to expanded trails and camping sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Molvar said that despite the victory, he wasn’t breaking out the champagne.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a compromise,” he said. “We had to accept some outcomes that we didn’t like in order to get the outcomes that we really wanted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The settlement will reduce the amount of land used for ranching by roughly 85%. Lessees leaving the seashore will split a sum of around $40 million, and employees on the ranches will divide about $2.5 million in relocation assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael Bell, director of protection at the Nature Conservancy in California, which was brought in to mediate and is footing the bill for the ranchers’ settlement, acknowledged the agreement is a profound cultural shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big transformative land use change,” he said. “There were all the emotions, but also a lot of pride that all the parties were able to get [to a solution], and a lot of determination to make this a success.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Lunny, however, the decision to leave the seashore is more bitter than sweet. As the ranchers, workers and their families relocate, the community that supports them will also be affected, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re losing our rural character,” Lunny said. “We know that our agreeing to this has profound repercussions on our community. And that’s what tugs at our hearts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Park Service will be responsible for overseeing the removal of cows and ranching infrastructure on roughly 16,000 acres of ranchland inside the national park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>When the Palisades Fire exploded, people rushed to their cars to evacuate, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020808/as-la-fires-rage-harrowing-evacuations-play-out-on-traffic-choked-roads\">found the roads clogged with traffic\u003c/a>. As the flames approached, police officers told drivers to flee on foot. The abandoned cars were later cleared with a bulldozer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scene echoed evacuations from other recent wildfires, ones with far deadlier results. In both California’s Camp Fire in 2018 and in Lahaina, Maui in 2023, residents died in their cars or fleeing on foot when the streets were blocked with standstill traffic and they were overtaken by the blaze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With wildfires spreading faster as the climate gets hotter, evacuation is becoming even more critical. In high winds, like those Los Angeles saw this week, firefighters have little chance of slowing or stopping the blaze. Getting people out is the only option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, many communities are lagging on evacuation planning, studies have found. And many face similar chokepoints, with narrow, winding roads making it difficult for residents to get safely out of neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are hundreds, if not thousands of communities like this, even just in the U.S. West, let alone worldwide,” says Tom Cova, a professor of geography at the University of Utah who studies evacuation. “We need to do everything we can to make this go smoothly. The worse the egress and the greater the fire risk, the more there’s a need for this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some communities, local residents have helped lead wildfires preparation efforts, creating all-volunteer fire councils that help identify evacuation routes and assist homeowners in making their houses more resistant to wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our fire-prone areas are also beautiful areas, but we’ve realized that with that opportunity to live in a place like that comes a responsibility,” says Ryan Ulyate, resident of Topanga Canyon and co-president of the Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council. “And that means you’ve got to do more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Communities unprepared for large-scale evacuations\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/08/nx-s1-5252535/palisades-fire-california-los-angeles-santa-ana-winds\">powerful Santa Ana winds\u003c/a> topping 60 miles per hour, the fires in Los Angeles grew explosively within hours of starting. In those conditions, firefighters had little hope of containing the spread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has some of the largest numbers and best trained firefighters probably in the world,” says Michele Steinberg, wildfire division director at the National Fire Protection Association. “Even with that, there simply are not enough people and resources to attack all these fires simultaneously and to deal with the fact that the wind is pushing them that fast. That is the reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When people in the Pacific Palisades got an alert to evacuate, they found many roads with standstill traffic. Tucked away in the hills, the neighborhood has few main roads going in and out. As the wildfire advanced, police told drivers to get out and continue on foot. Sitting in traffic is perilous during an extreme fire. In both the Camp Fire and Lahaina Fire, people died in their cars or on the street as they fled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021446\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021446\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steep terrain and winding roads made both firefighting and evacuation difficult in the first hours of the fast-moving Palisades Fire. \u003ccite>(David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images/AFP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Evacuation planning is largely done by local governments, but the level of preparation varies greatly. In a review of 11 wildfires in California, \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/content/qt5w85z07g/qt5w85z07g.pdf?t=q7c4sj\">one study found\u003c/a> that some local governments were not prepared, and “nearly all agencies do not have the public resources to adequately and swiftly evacuate all populations in danger.” Other studies have found many communities around the country \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1946668/data-pinpoints-14-california-communities-with-most-limited-emergency-escape-routes\">lack adequate routes for evacuation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What communities can do\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Technology is coming to the aid of some communities. For those that can afford commissioning studies, computer simulations can show how long it will take to evacuate neighborhoods and where the critical bottlenecks are. Some systems are being used by fire departments during wildfires to make evacuations more efficient. If there’s time, evacuating people by zones sequentially can help traffic flow, since it prevents too many cars leaving at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Communications are critical during wildfires, especially to alert people when it’s time to leave. Many communities use \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea\">Wireless Emergency Alerts\u003c/a>, which sends text messages to everyone within specific geographic locations. But cell service \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/04/17/1245396324/maui-fire-report-communications-breakdown\">often goes down during wildfires\u003c/a>, so having alternate ways of getting the message out is key. Some communities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/18/1194505306/3-strategies-maui-can-adopt-from-other-states-to-help-prevent-dangerous-wildfire\">installed sirens that can play messages\u003c/a>, giving detailed directions about what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, in extreme fires, even the best evacuation plans may fall short. Many communities have grown substantially, allowing building over decades without adequate evacuation planning, especially given a dire need for housing in places like California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the stage is set over a long period of time, decades of development of certain types of homes that are in flammable regions with no egress,” Cova says. “And then you have first responders and emergency managers that are charged with dealing with it and it’s a losing proposition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One solution is building new evacuation routes, but that’s a challenging prospect in heavily developed areas. After their devastating fires, both Paradise and Lahaina \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/06/nx-s1-5055856/maui-wildfires-anniversary-lahaina-evacuation-roads\">saw an opportunity to improve roads\u003c/a> and connect neighborhoods with limited egress. But building new roads or expanding existing ones often requires going through private property. A major road project in Paradise is \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/06/nx-s1-5055856/maui-wildfires-anniversary-lahaina-evacuation-roads\">costing hundreds of millions of dollars\u003c/a>, far exceeding what the city can pay for on its own after being hit with a disaster.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Community groups stepping in\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Ryan Ulyate prepared to evacuate his Topanga Canyon home, he stayed surprisingly calm. The Palisades Fire was encroaching on the area, but he had spent years helping prepare his community for wildfires. He already had a checklist about what to take ahead of time and quickly packed his car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When the evacuation order was given, I got in the car and said goodbye to my house,” he says. “And I’m hoping that when I return there will be a house there.”[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12021125,science_1995420,news_12020988\"]Ulyate helped create the Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council in 2010, after he felt there weren’t enough discussions about the wildfire risk. Topanga Canyon has one road leading in and out, \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/brief/news/climate-environment/topanga-canyon-wildfire-risk\">making it extremely vulnerable to fast-moving fires\u003c/a>. The council helped lead a project with authorities to clear the flammable vegetation along the road, in order to make it safer during an evacuation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His group also helps educate homeowners about how to make their houses more resistant to wildfire. Wildfires are largely spread through embers that are driven far from the fire itself, which can ignite trees, roof shingles or even dried leaves sitting in gutters. Clearing flammable brush and vegetation, especially in the area directly around the house, is a key, as well as using fire-resistant siding and roofs when home upgrades are done. Studies show some of these improvements \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/17/nx-s1-5100886/lahaina-wildfire-maui-building-defensible-space\">have saved houses in previous fires\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are receptive, but we still have a long way to go,” he says. “It’s not something that everybody knows about. We’ve educated a certain amount of people, but in order for this to really be successful, entire communities need to do these kinds of things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around the country, more local volunteers are creating fire councils and participating in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa\">Firewise USA program\u003c/a>, run by the National Fire Protection Association. It gives communities guidance and checklists on how to improve their fire safety. It often creates a pathway for citizens to work with local officials and help spur key discussions about evacuation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key thing, Steinberg says, is not to assume the preparation has already been done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bigger the problem, the less the concern,” Steinberg says. “It’s a well-studied phenomenon apparently that the bigger and scarier the problem, the more likely people are to think that someone else is taking care of it. And I would say wildfire is the perfect example of that kind of thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Experts say hundreds of communities are lagging on evacuation planning and face similar chokepoints, with narrow, winding roads making it difficult for residents to get safely out of neighborhoods.",
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"title": "Many Communities Aren't Ready for Wildfire Evacuations. Here's What They Can Do | KQED",
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"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/people/803934365/lauren-sommer\">Lauren Sommer\u003c/a>, NPR",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When the Palisades Fire exploded, people rushed to their cars to evacuate, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020808/as-la-fires-rage-harrowing-evacuations-play-out-on-traffic-choked-roads\">found the roads clogged with traffic\u003c/a>. As the flames approached, police officers told drivers to flee on foot. The abandoned cars were later cleared with a bulldozer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scene echoed evacuations from other recent wildfires, ones with far deadlier results. In both California’s Camp Fire in 2018 and in Lahaina, Maui in 2023, residents died in their cars or fleeing on foot when the streets were blocked with standstill traffic and they were overtaken by the blaze.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With wildfires spreading faster as the climate gets hotter, evacuation is becoming even more critical. In high winds, like those Los Angeles saw this week, firefighters have little chance of slowing or stopping the blaze. Getting people out is the only option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, many communities are lagging on evacuation planning, studies have found. And many face similar chokepoints, with narrow, winding roads making it difficult for residents to get safely out of neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are hundreds, if not thousands of communities like this, even just in the U.S. West, let alone worldwide,” says Tom Cova, a professor of geography at the University of Utah who studies evacuation. “We need to do everything we can to make this go smoothly. The worse the egress and the greater the fire risk, the more there’s a need for this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some communities, local residents have helped lead wildfires preparation efforts, creating all-volunteer fire councils that help identify evacuation routes and assist homeowners in making their houses more resistant to wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our fire-prone areas are also beautiful areas, but we’ve realized that with that opportunity to live in a place like that comes a responsibility,” says Ryan Ulyate, resident of Topanga Canyon and co-president of the Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council. “And that means you’ve got to do more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Communities unprepared for large-scale evacuations\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/01/08/nx-s1-5252535/palisades-fire-california-los-angeles-santa-ana-winds\">powerful Santa Ana winds\u003c/a> topping 60 miles per hour, the fires in Los Angeles grew explosively within hours of starting. In those conditions, firefighters had little hope of containing the spread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has some of the largest numbers and best trained firefighters probably in the world,” says Michele Steinberg, wildfire division director at the National Fire Protection Association. “Even with that, there simply are not enough people and resources to attack all these fires simultaneously and to deal with the fact that the wind is pushing them that fast. That is the reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When people in the Pacific Palisades got an alert to evacuate, they found many roads with standstill traffic. Tucked away in the hills, the neighborhood has few main roads going in and out. As the wildfire advanced, police told drivers to get out and continue on foot. Sitting in traffic is perilous during an extreme fire. In both the Camp Fire and Lahaina Fire, people died in their cars or on the street as they fled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021446\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021446\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steep terrain and winding roads made both firefighting and evacuation difficult in the first hours of the fast-moving Palisades Fire. \u003ccite>(David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images/AFP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Evacuation planning is largely done by local governments, but the level of preparation varies greatly. In a review of 11 wildfires in California, \u003ca href=\"https://escholarship.org/content/qt5w85z07g/qt5w85z07g.pdf?t=q7c4sj\">one study found\u003c/a> that some local governments were not prepared, and “nearly all agencies do not have the public resources to adequately and swiftly evacuate all populations in danger.” Other studies have found many communities around the country \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1946668/data-pinpoints-14-california-communities-with-most-limited-emergency-escape-routes\">lack adequate routes for evacuation\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What communities can do\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Technology is coming to the aid of some communities. For those that can afford commissioning studies, computer simulations can show how long it will take to evacuate neighborhoods and where the critical bottlenecks are. Some systems are being used by fire departments during wildfires to make evacuations more efficient. If there’s time, evacuating people by zones sequentially can help traffic flow, since it prevents too many cars leaving at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Communications are critical during wildfires, especially to alert people when it’s time to leave. Many communities use \u003ca href=\"https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea\">Wireless Emergency Alerts\u003c/a>, which sends text messages to everyone within specific geographic locations. But cell service \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/04/17/1245396324/maui-fire-report-communications-breakdown\">often goes down during wildfires\u003c/a>, so having alternate ways of getting the message out is key. Some communities have \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/18/1194505306/3-strategies-maui-can-adopt-from-other-states-to-help-prevent-dangerous-wildfire\">installed sirens that can play messages\u003c/a>, giving detailed directions about what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, in extreme fires, even the best evacuation plans may fall short. Many communities have grown substantially, allowing building over decades without adequate evacuation planning, especially given a dire need for housing in places like California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the stage is set over a long period of time, decades of development of certain types of homes that are in flammable regions with no egress,” Cova says. “And then you have first responders and emergency managers that are charged with dealing with it and it’s a losing proposition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One solution is building new evacuation routes, but that’s a challenging prospect in heavily developed areas. After their devastating fires, both Paradise and Lahaina \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/06/nx-s1-5055856/maui-wildfires-anniversary-lahaina-evacuation-roads\">saw an opportunity to improve roads\u003c/a> and connect neighborhoods with limited egress. But building new roads or expanding existing ones often requires going through private property. A major road project in Paradise is \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/06/nx-s1-5055856/maui-wildfires-anniversary-lahaina-evacuation-roads\">costing hundreds of millions of dollars\u003c/a>, far exceeding what the city can pay for on its own after being hit with a disaster.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Community groups stepping in\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Ryan Ulyate prepared to evacuate his Topanga Canyon home, he stayed surprisingly calm. The Palisades Fire was encroaching on the area, but he had spent years helping prepare his community for wildfires. He already had a checklist about what to take ahead of time and quickly packed his car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When the evacuation order was given, I got in the car and said goodbye to my house,” he says. “And I’m hoping that when I return there will be a house there.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Ulyate helped create the Topanga Canyon Fire Safe Council in 2010, after he felt there weren’t enough discussions about the wildfire risk. Topanga Canyon has one road leading in and out, \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/brief/news/climate-environment/topanga-canyon-wildfire-risk\">making it extremely vulnerable to fast-moving fires\u003c/a>. The council helped lead a project with authorities to clear the flammable vegetation along the road, in order to make it safer during an evacuation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His group also helps educate homeowners about how to make their houses more resistant to wildfire. Wildfires are largely spread through embers that are driven far from the fire itself, which can ignite trees, roof shingles or even dried leaves sitting in gutters. Clearing flammable brush and vegetation, especially in the area directly around the house, is a key, as well as using fire-resistant siding and roofs when home upgrades are done. Studies show some of these improvements \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/09/17/nx-s1-5100886/lahaina-wildfire-maui-building-defensible-space\">have saved houses in previous fires\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are receptive, but we still have a long way to go,” he says. “It’s not something that everybody knows about. We’ve educated a certain amount of people, but in order for this to really be successful, entire communities need to do these kinds of things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around the country, more local volunteers are creating fire councils and participating in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa\">Firewise USA program\u003c/a>, run by the National Fire Protection Association. It gives communities guidance and checklists on how to improve their fire safety. It often creates a pathway for citizens to work with local officials and help spur key discussions about evacuation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key thing, Steinberg says, is not to assume the preparation has already been done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The bigger the problem, the less the concern,” Steinberg says. “It’s a well-studied phenomenon apparently that the bigger and scarier the problem, the more likely people are to think that someone else is taking care of it. And I would say wildfire is the perfect example of that kind of thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "heres-how-some-major-landmarks-are-faring-in-the-los-angeles-fires",
"title": "Here's How Some Major Landmarks Are Faring in the Los Angeles Fires",
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"headTitle": "Here’s How Some Major Landmarks Are Faring in the Los Angeles Fires | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Southern California is fighting multiple major wildfires, exacerbated by hurricane-strength winds that have resulted in red flag warnings and evacuation orders in multiple zones. The current fires are the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades, the Eaton Fire, the Hurst Fire in the Sylmar area and the Tyler Fire in Riverside County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These offshoots of Los Angeles are home to many cultural institutions renowned for everything from iconic Hollywood nightlife to groundbreaking scientific research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://apps.npr.org/datawrapper/xse37/13/?initialWidth=953&childId=responsive-embed-xse37&parentTitle=How%20the%20Los%20Angeles%20fires%20are%20affecting%20several%20major%20landmarks%20%3A%20NPR&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2F2025%2F01%2F08%2Fnx-s1-5252587%2Flos-angeles-fires-landmarks-culture-arts\" width=\"800\" height=\"750\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s where several of them stand as of Wednesday afternoon:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Will Rogers State Historic Park\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=626\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">former home\u003c/a> of actor, radio personality and humorist Will Rogers, a 186-acre ranch that was on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, was gutted by the Palisades fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People on social media posted photos and videos of the site, which showed only chimneys poking up through rubble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The estate and historic park were home to many Western artifacts, as well as objects from Will Rogers’ daily life. In the 1930s, he was Hollywood’s highest-paid film star. His widow, Betty Rogers, had donated the house and stables to Californian in 1944.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the California State Parks \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/1346\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website\u003c/a>, horses and some of the cultural artifacts at the Will Rogers State Historic Park were safely evacuated ahead of the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Topanga State Park\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parts of the Topanga State Park — a national park located within the city of Los Angeles that is known for its scenic hiking and mountain bike trails — were also devastated by the Palisades fire. The historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/1346\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Topanga Ranch Motel\u003c/a>, which was once owned by newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst, was destroyed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sunset Boulevard\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The West Hollywood strip, known for its nightlife and restaurant scene, was gridlocked Tuesday by Los Angeles residents fleeing the Palisades area. Officials told those on Sunset Boulevard to abandon their cars and walk to safety. The Los Angeles Fire Department later moved the abandoned vehicles to make way for firefighters. The stretch of Sunset Boulevard between San Vicente and Crescent Heights remains closed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021217\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021217\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25.jpg\" alt=\"Cars jammed on a road with smoke all around.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People evacuate on Sunset Boulevard from the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Apu Gomes/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Getty Villa and Getty Center\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some trees and vegetation were burned on the site of the Getty Villa, a Greco-Roman art museum on the Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades. The museum \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DEi-ISkvlta/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported\u003c/a> that collections and staff were so far unharmed and that fire and smoke mitigation plans were in place. Both the Getty Villa and the Getty Center, which is not in the current fire zone, will remain closed until at least Monday, Jan. 13.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021219\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021219\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy.jpg\" alt=\"Orange smoky glowing sky above and behind an estate, with a stone sign outside that says 'The Getty Villa'\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flames from the Palisades Fire reach the grounds of the Getty Villa Museum on the Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Apu Gomes/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Palisades Charter High School\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A filming location for popular shows and films such as \u003cem>Teen Wolf, Carrie, \u003c/em>and \u003cem>Freaky Friday\u003c/em>, Palisades Charter High School has been severely damaged by the Palisades fire. Students and faculty are still on winter break, scheduled through Jan. 10. According to the high school’s website, they will provide updates for students and families prior to the start of the spring semester.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Jet Propulsion Laboratory\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a research hub for robotic space exploration, is included in the areas with \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-07/eaton-fire-evacuations-pasadena-altadena\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">evacuation orders\u003c/a> due to the Eaton fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Universal Studios and CityWalk\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though not under mandatory evacuation, the Universal Studios theme park and the attached dining, shopping and entertainment plaza, Universal CityWalk, are closed Wednesday “as a result of the extreme winds and fire conditions,” the studios \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/UniStudios/status/1876995419240030363\">announced\u003c/a> Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Hammer Museum at UCLA\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Hammer Museum at UCLA, a contemporary art museum, is \u003ca href=\"https://hammer.ucla.edu/visit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">also closed\u003c/a> due to the nearby fires and severe weather warnings. The \u003ca href=\"https://bso.ucla.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">University of California, Los Angeles\u003c/a> campus, where the museum is located, has canceled classes for undergraduates and moved graduate classes online as of Thursday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Rose Bowl\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Wednesday morning, the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena is not considered at high risk of being impacted by the fires. The stadium is being used as a large animal evacuation center, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/LHSLASD/status/1876923497609363573\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021223\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021223\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial image shows smoke covering the hillsides behind the Rose Bowl stadium from wildfires, including the Eaton Fire, at sunset over Pasadena, Los Angeles County, on Jan. 8, 2025. \u003ccite>(Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The extensive collections in the library, museum, and gardens in San Marino, known as “\u003ca href=\"https://huntington.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The H\u003c/a>,” remain safe as of early Thursday morning. The campus remains closed at least through Friday, Jan. 10. A few trees were lost and uprooted in the area due to high winds and the property sustained minor damage from falling debris, the Huntington \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DEllwbDsY-a/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shared on Instagram\u003c/a> on Wednesday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Eames House\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, the architectural landmark, famously made with experimental industrial materials, is at risk in the Palisades fire. The property, also known as Case Study House No. 8, posted an update to its \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stories/eameshouse/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram stories\u003c/a> on Wednesday morning that the house remained unharmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Warner Bros.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Warner Bros. Studio in Hollywood, which offers tours — including backlots and sets from beloved television shows — is \u003ca href=\"https://www.wbstudiotour.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closed Wednesday\u003c/a> due to the fire conditions and strong winds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, located in Griffith Park, closed to the public \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/LAZoo/status/1876685554424688818\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on Tuesday\u003c/a> and remains \u003ca href=\"https://lazoo.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closed\u003c/a> Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Griffith Observatory\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The popular scientific observatory and planetarium located at the top of the Hollywood Hills is \u003ca href=\"https://griffithobservatory.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closed Wednesday\u003c/a> due to the wind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021224\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021224\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-1536x1019.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke from wildfires hangs in the sky over Griffith Observatory on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Andy Bao/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Empire Polo Club\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Home to the annual Coachella Music Festival, the Empire Polo Club in Indio has not reported any closures. The club is about seven miles away from the Tyler fire’s starting point.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Hollywood Landmarks\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hollywood Sign\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Located in the Hollywood Hills, the iconic Hollywood sign \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DEkmN7NP4n0/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">remains closed\u003c/a> as of Thursday morning, along with all of Griffith Park. The Hollywood Sign Trust’s official Instagram account posted an update to their stories on Wednesday night, saying that the sign was not on fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hollywood Bowl\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Host to many live music performances since it opened in 1922, the amphitheater received evacuation orders on Wednesday night. According to a post on their \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DElzAs1pc3r/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram\u003c/a>, all staff has evacuated the premises safely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>TCL Chinese Theatre and Dolby Theatre \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The TCL Chinese Theatre, a movie palace more popularly called Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, has hosted premiers and film festivals since it opened in 1927. The landmark was included in an evacuation zone on Wednesday. The Dolby Theatre, where the Academy Awards are held, was also in that zone. Both theaters closed Wednesday night. There have been no reports of damage and the evacuation orders have been lifted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>LAist’s coverage\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the latest. \u003c/em>\u003cem>Jennifer Vanasco edited this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Los Angeles and its offshoots are home to many cultural institutions renowned for everything from iconic Hollywood nightlife to groundbreaking scientific research. Here's where several of them stand as of Wednesday afternoon.",
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"title": "Here's How Some Major Landmarks Are Faring in the Los Angeles Fires | KQED",
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"headline": "Here's How Some Major Landmarks Are Faring in the Los Angeles Fires",
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"nprByline": "\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-30654/dhanika-pineda\">Dhanika Pineda\u003c/a>, NPR",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Southern California is fighting multiple major wildfires, exacerbated by hurricane-strength winds that have resulted in red flag warnings and evacuation orders in multiple zones. The current fires are the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades, the Eaton Fire, the Hurst Fire in the Sylmar area and the Tyler Fire in Riverside County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These offshoots of Los Angeles are home to many cultural institutions renowned for everything from iconic Hollywood nightlife to groundbreaking scientific research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://apps.npr.org/datawrapper/xse37/13/?initialWidth=953&childId=responsive-embed-xse37&parentTitle=How%20the%20Los%20Angeles%20fires%20are%20affecting%20several%20major%20landmarks%20%3A%20NPR&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2F2025%2F01%2F08%2Fnx-s1-5252587%2Flos-angeles-fires-landmarks-culture-arts\" width=\"800\" height=\"750\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s where several of them stand as of Wednesday afternoon:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Will Rogers State Historic Park\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=626\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">former home\u003c/a> of actor, radio personality and humorist Will Rogers, a 186-acre ranch that was on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, was gutted by the Palisades fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People on social media posted photos and videos of the site, which showed only chimneys poking up through rubble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The estate and historic park were home to many Western artifacts, as well as objects from Will Rogers’ daily life. In the 1930s, he was Hollywood’s highest-paid film star. His widow, Betty Rogers, had donated the house and stables to Californian in 1944.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the California State Parks \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/1346\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website\u003c/a>, horses and some of the cultural artifacts at the Will Rogers State Historic Park were safely evacuated ahead of the fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Topanga State Park\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parts of the Topanga State Park — a national park located within the city of Los Angeles that is known for its scenic hiking and mountain bike trails — were also devastated by the Palisades fire. The historic \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/1346\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Topanga Ranch Motel\u003c/a>, which was once owned by newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst, was destroyed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sunset Boulevard\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The West Hollywood strip, known for its nightlife and restaurant scene, was gridlocked Tuesday by Los Angeles residents fleeing the Palisades area. Officials told those on Sunset Boulevard to abandon their cars and walk to safety. The Los Angeles Fire Department later moved the abandoned vehicles to make way for firefighters. The stretch of Sunset Boulevard between San Vicente and Crescent Heights remains closed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021217\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021217\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25.jpg\" alt=\"Cars jammed on a road with smoke all around.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-25-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People evacuate on Sunset Boulevard from the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Apu Gomes/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Getty Villa and Getty Center\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some trees and vegetation were burned on the site of the Getty Villa, a Greco-Roman art museum on the Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades. The museum \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DEi-ISkvlta/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported\u003c/a> that collections and staff were so far unharmed and that fire and smoke mitigation plans were in place. Both the Getty Villa and the Getty Center, which is not in the current fire zone, will remain closed until at least Monday, Jan. 13.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021219\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021219\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy.jpg\" alt=\"Orange smoky glowing sky above and behind an estate, with a stone sign outside that says 'The Getty Villa'\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flames from the Palisades Fire reach the grounds of the Getty Villa Museum on the Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Apu Gomes/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Palisades Charter High School\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A filming location for popular shows and films such as \u003cem>Teen Wolf, Carrie, \u003c/em>and \u003cem>Freaky Friday\u003c/em>, Palisades Charter High School has been severely damaged by the Palisades fire. Students and faculty are still on winter break, scheduled through Jan. 10. According to the high school’s website, they will provide updates for students and families prior to the start of the spring semester.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Jet Propulsion Laboratory\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a research hub for robotic space exploration, is included in the areas with \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-07/eaton-fire-evacuations-pasadena-altadena\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">evacuation orders\u003c/a> due to the Eaton fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Universal Studios and CityWalk\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though not under mandatory evacuation, the Universal Studios theme park and the attached dining, shopping and entertainment plaza, Universal CityWalk, are closed Wednesday “as a result of the extreme winds and fire conditions,” the studios \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/UniStudios/status/1876995419240030363\">announced\u003c/a> Wednesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Hammer Museum at UCLA\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Hammer Museum at UCLA, a contemporary art museum, is \u003ca href=\"https://hammer.ucla.edu/visit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">also closed\u003c/a> due to the nearby fires and severe weather warnings. The \u003ca href=\"https://bso.ucla.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">University of California, Los Angeles\u003c/a> campus, where the museum is located, has canceled classes for undergraduates and moved graduate classes online as of Thursday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Rose Bowl\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Wednesday morning, the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena is not considered at high risk of being impacted by the fires. The stadium is being used as a large animal evacuation center, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/LHSLASD/status/1876923497609363573\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021223\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021223\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-copy-26-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An aerial image shows smoke covering the hillsides behind the Rose Bowl stadium from wildfires, including the Eaton Fire, at sunset over Pasadena, Los Angeles County, on Jan. 8, 2025. \u003ccite>(Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The extensive collections in the library, museum, and gardens in San Marino, known as “\u003ca href=\"https://huntington.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The H\u003c/a>,” remain safe as of early Thursday morning. The campus remains closed at least through Friday, Jan. 10. A few trees were lost and uprooted in the area due to high winds and the property sustained minor damage from falling debris, the Huntington \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DEllwbDsY-a/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shared on Instagram\u003c/a> on Wednesday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Eames House\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, the architectural landmark, famously made with experimental industrial materials, is at risk in the Palisades fire. The property, also known as Case Study House No. 8, posted an update to its \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stories/eameshouse/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram stories\u003c/a> on Wednesday morning that the house remained unharmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Warner Bros.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Warner Bros. Studio in Hollywood, which offers tours — including backlots and sets from beloved television shows — is \u003ca href=\"https://www.wbstudiotour.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closed Wednesday\u003c/a> due to the fire conditions and strong winds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, located in Griffith Park, closed to the public \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/LAZoo/status/1876685554424688818\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on Tuesday\u003c/a> and remains \u003ca href=\"https://lazoo.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closed\u003c/a> Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Griffith Observatory\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The popular scientific observatory and planetarium located at the top of the Hollywood Hills is \u003ca href=\"https://griffithobservatory.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closed Wednesday\u003c/a> due to the wind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12021224\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12021224\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1-1536x1019.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke from wildfires hangs in the sky over Griffith Observatory on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Andy Bao/AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Empire Polo Club\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Home to the annual Coachella Music Festival, the Empire Polo Club in Indio has not reported any closures. The club is about seven miles away from the Tyler fire’s starting point.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Hollywood Landmarks\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hollywood Sign\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Located in the Hollywood Hills, the iconic Hollywood sign \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DEkmN7NP4n0/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">remains closed\u003c/a> as of Thursday morning, along with all of Griffith Park. The Hollywood Sign Trust’s official Instagram account posted an update to their stories on Wednesday night, saying that the sign was not on fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hollywood Bowl\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Host to many live music performances since it opened in 1922, the amphitheater received evacuation orders on Wednesday night. According to a post on their \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DElzAs1pc3r/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram\u003c/a>, all staff has evacuated the premises safely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>TCL Chinese Theatre and Dolby Theatre \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The TCL Chinese Theatre, a movie palace more popularly called Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, has hosted premiers and film festivals since it opened in 1927. The landmark was included in an evacuation zone on Wednesday. The Dolby Theatre, where the Academy Awards are held, was also in that zone. Both theaters closed Wednesday night. There have been no reports of damage and the evacuation orders have been lifted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>LAist’s coverage\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the latest. \u003c/em>\u003cem>Jennifer Vanasco edited this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "is-it-safe-to-swim-in-the-bay-braving-the-cold-and-sometimes-dirty-water",
"title": "Is It Safe to Swim in the Bay? Braving the Cold (and Sometimes Dirty) Water",
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"headTitle": "Is It Safe to Swim in the Bay? Braving the Cold (and Sometimes Dirty) Water | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swimming in the San Francisco Bay is more than a hobby or a form of exercise for the avid community of swimmers who show up regularly to take a dip. It’s practically a spiritual experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I work a pretty stressful job as a cardiac ICU nurse. Being in the water is the time that my mind is quiet and I’m able to just be in the present moment,” said Kerianne Brownlie, who regularly swims at Albany Beach, among other spots around the region. “It’s just you and the water. You feel every little piece of seaweed touching you. You feel the full chilliness of whatever the temperature is that day. And you get really in tune with your body in a way that I haven’t found in other sports on land.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brownlie swims without a wetsuit — it’s less to fuss with — and doesn’t worry too much about water quality. But that’s not the case for Bay Curious listener Robbe Verhofste. He’s been curious about swimming in the bay since he moved here five years ago, but he’s been hesitant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robbe grew up in Iowa, where agriculture pollution is a big problem in lakes and rivers. It can make water dangerous — even lethal — for swimmers. So, he’s always cautious of water so close to industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[In Iowa], it was really clear when the water was safe and the water was not safe,” he said. He finds the question a lot murkier in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For some reason, I’m always drawn to jumping into the waters that face the Pacific, so Stinson Beach or Pacifica or Ocean Beach,” Robbe said. “I’m quite a bit more timid to jump in around the interior of the bay itself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is Robbe right to be timid? Is it safe to swim in the bay? And if so, are there certain areas or times of year to avoid?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cleaner than it was in the ‘60s\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before diving (pun intended) into \u003ci>current \u003c/i>water quality in the bay, let’s take a step back in order to appreciate how far we’ve come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sixty years ago, the answer to Robbe’s question would have unequivocally been: No, it’s not safe to swim in the bay. That’s because, in the 1960s, raw sewage from treatment plants flowed directly into the bay, untreated. In other words, when residents flushed the toilet, it essentially went straight into the bay. Refineries and industrial facilities also pumped their waste directly into San Francisco bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, all that started to change in 1972 with the passage of the Clean Water Act, which required wastewater treatment plants to do a secondary treatment before discharging water into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we should feel proud,” said Eileen White, executive officer with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/\">the local agency in charge of regulating\u003c/a> what goes into the bay. “We’ve come a long way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to White, back in the 1960s, the bay met national water quality standards only 20% of the time. Now, she estimates that number is closer to 95%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Toxic algae is the biggest threat\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raw sewage may no longer be pumping into the bay, but now there’s a new challenge — harmful algae blooms, which are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1983631/last-summers-fish-killing-algae-bloom-is-back-in-the-bay\">cropping up more often\u003c/a> due in part to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12020588\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12020588\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138.jpg\" alt=\"Three people with lanterns stand in a body of dark water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(from left) Alison LaBonte, of Berkeley, David Meyer of Berkeley, Kerianne Brownlie, and Maja Harren, of Oakland, meet at Albany Beach for an early morning swim in Albany, Calif., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. The group meets at 6 a.m. to get a swim in before work. The swimmers wear lights on their heads and inside floatations attached to their bodies for increased visibility. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Algae blooms occur when the water is warm and calm and the algae has plenty of nitrogen and phosphorus to eat. Algae is a naturally occurring plant in the bay, and when it blooms, it’s not always a bad thing. However, certain algae blooms produce toxins that are dangerous to animals and humans. Other types of algae blooms are not toxic, but they eat up all the oxygen in the water, which suffocates fish and other wildlife living there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s what happened in Oakland’s Lake Merritt in 2022, when an algae bloom killed tens of thousands of fish and other aquatic critters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You could see corpses everywhere,” said Kristina Yoshida, environmental scientist with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “That was a sad day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lake Merritt is a tidal estuary, meaning it’s not fully enclosed and is fed by both salt and freshwater. It’s connected to — and is essentially an extension of — the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while the city of Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10900605/what-would-it-take-to-make-lake-merritt-swimmable\">does \u003ci>not \u003c/i>recommend humans swim\u003c/a> in Lake Merritt, the lake is home to plenty of aquatic creatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it took the fish kill for people to realize how much was in here when they saw all the dead sharks and the bat rays and the huge striped bass,” Yoshida said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and her team recently started collecting nutrient samples around Lake Merritt in order to help the city of Oakland establish a nutrient management plan. The plan, still in its infancy, aims to minimize the impacts of future algae blooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to get baseline data to help us inform what sort of management plan we’re going to do for the lake,” Yoshida said. “We’re trying to understand the system better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Algae blooms are becoming more common in the Bay Area for a variety of reasons. Climate change is a major contributor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have longer, warmer summers and less precipitation. And so those situations set up perfect conditions for these algae blooms to occur,” Yoshida said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blooms are largely fed by nutrient runoff from sewage treatment plants. Although treatment plants have improved their water cleanup strategies since the 1960s, they are still the top contributors of nutrients into the bay, \u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/harmful-algae-blooms/\">according to San Francisco Baykeeper\u003c/a>. And in fact, the San Francisco bay has some of the highest levels of nutrient pollutants of any estuary in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nutrients on their own aren’t a bad thing, but they can increase the frequency and severity of algae blooms – like wind fueling a wildfire. That’s why the local water quality control board is working to cut down on that pollution by setting limits on wastewater discharge. And treatment agencies themselves are also piloting projects to reduce nutrient output.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We understand that nutrient discharges from wastewater treatment plants need to be reduced,” said Alicia Chakrabarti, manager of the Waste Water Environmental Services Division at the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EMBUD). “Because whatever factors are causing increased algal blooms and less resilience to the nutrients is clearly changing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So… is it safe to swim in the bay?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The short answer to Robbe’s question is: Yes — with some caveats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12020582\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12020582\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422.jpg\" alt=\"A swimmer in an orange cap cuts through a large open body of water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kerianne Brownlie swims in the bay near Albany Beach in Albany, Calif., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>White does \u003ci>not \u003c/i>recommend swimming after the first big rainstorm of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The first storm of the year usually brings a lot of pollutants into the bay because it’s washing down all that stuff that’s been there, accumulating all summer and all fall,” White said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rain washes trash, bird and dog poop and oil from the roads into the bay, increasing the risk of infections and skin rashes for swimmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And those big rainstorms are becoming more frequent and intense in the Bay Area. Multiple atmospheric rivers — which can transport \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">more than 25 times the moisture\u003c/a> that flows through the mouth of the Mississippi River — have hit our region over the past several years, bringing with them \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016676/intense-california-storm-caused-2-6-million-damage-sonoma-county\">intense flooding and storm damage\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Storms not only increase stormwater runoff, they can also overwhelm our wastewater treatment facilities. They don’t have the storage to handle all the incoming water and, as a result, bacteria can end up in parts of the bay, according to White.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco is the only coastal city in California with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/our-systems/sewer-system/our-combined-sewer\">combined stormwater and wastewater system\u003c/a>. That means there’s only one set of pipes for both sewage and storm runoff, making it particularly vulnerable to big storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each year, San Francisco discharges nearly 2 billion gallons of combined stormwater and raw sewage into the bay. That poses a big public health risk for those who recreate in the bay — especially swimmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Environmental Protection Agency is currently suing San Francisco for what it says are repeated violations of the Clean Water Act. San Francisco, in turn, is suing the EPA, saying the agency’s restrictions on how much sewage it can discharge are too vague.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That lawsuit \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009496/san-francisco-challenges-epa-in-supreme-court-over-water-pollution-standards\">made it all the way to the Supreme Court\u003c/a> this year. The justices heard arguments in October and are expected to present a decision by the time the term ends in June 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, wastewater agencies are required to conduct tests after they accidentally leak sewage. They’re also required to put up signs in affected areas, which can be anywhere around the bay, including right offshore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White’s advice? Look for signs on the beach and check local news and \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">city websites\u003c/a> before you dive in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s exactly what question asker Robbe Verhofste did when he decided to take a plunge into the bay after hearing this report. When he saw that water conditions were considered safe near Albany Beach, he stripped down to his bathing suit and braved the cold water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12020816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12020816\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized.jpg\" alt=\"A man gives the thumbs up sign standing on a beach next to a large body of water.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1040\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized-800x433.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized-1020x553.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized-1536x832.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robbe Verhofste takes the plunge into the bay after learning the water is often safe for swimming. \u003ccite>(Dana Cronin/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My whole body’s kind of tingling,” he said. “It’s definitely a little chilly, but, yeah, I’d recommend others who are curious to give it a shot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12020818\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12020818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized.jpg\" alt=\"The silhouette of man standing out in a large body of water, looking at the sunset behind a cityscape.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1040\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized-800x433.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized-1020x553.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized-1536x832.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robbe Verhofste takes in the sunset after a swim in San Francisco Bay. \u003ccite>(Dana Cronin/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, as he trains for an upcoming triathlon, he’s thinking the bay will be the perfect place to get some open-water swimming experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b> It’s a brisk winter day on Albany Beach in the East Bay. Kerianne Brownlie and I are sitting on a piece of driftwood, overlooking a calm and flat San Francisco Bay. I’m wearing my big winter puffy jacket. Kerianne? She’s in a swimsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kerianne Brownlie: \u003c/b>In 2020, I had made the decision to get back into swimming. I wanted to join a pool team, and with everything closed, I just decided, well, we have a bay right here. That water seems to be open. And so I actually went down to the Berkeley Marina one day on my own and just hopped in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003c/b>\u003ci>Stepping into water sounds\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003c/b>\u003cb>Kerianne Brownlie: \u003c/b>I remember just getting in and thinking like, okay, this is cold, but it feels okay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>She picked a landmark about 500 yards away, put her head down and started swimming toward it. By the time she returned to where she started, she knew she’d discovered something special.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kerianne Brownlie: \u003c/b>And then I felt totally hooked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Bring up swimming ambi \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kerianne Brownlie: \u003c/b>So I work a pretty stressful job as a cardiac ICU nurse. And so really being in the water is the time that my mind is quiet and all of those thoughts shut off and I’m able to just be in the present moment. You feel every little piece of seaweed touching you. You know, you feel the full chilliness of of whatever the temperature is that day. And you get really in tune with your body in a way that I haven’t found in other sports on land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>Swimming in the Bay is more than a hobby or a form of exercise. It’s practically a spiritual experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kerianne started out swimming 20, 30 minutes, but was soon drawn to longer swims. Right now, she’s training to swim the English Channel — some 21 miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that brings us to our question asker this week, Robbe Verhofste. He’s taken notice of swimmers in the Bay like Kerianne. He’s been curious about giving it a try himself since he moved here 5 years ago. But, he’s been hesitant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>For some reason, I’m always drawn to jumping into the waters that face the Pacific. So Stinson Beach or Pacifica or Ocean Beach, and I’m quite a bit more timid to jump in around the interior of the bay itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>Timid because he’s not sure whether it’s safe! No, he’s not afraid of sharks or the cold water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robbe grew up in Iowa, where \u003ci>agriculture \u003c/i>pollution is a big problem. It can make water dangerous — even lethal — to swim in. So he’s used to thinking twice before jumping into a body of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>There it was really clear when the water was safe and the water was not safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>So he’s wondering: what about the bay? Is it safe to swim in?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>If I knew that I was going to come out without issue I would absolutely love to spend more time in this body of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Bay Curious theme music begins\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>I’m Olivia Allen-Price, and on today’s episode of Bay Curious: Is it safe to swim in the Bay? Are there certain areas, or times of year, to avoid? Can we convince Robbe to take the plunge? Or will what we find scare him away? That’s all coming up, after this quick break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>To find out more about water quality in the bay and to advise Robbe on whether or not to take the plunge we sent out reporter Dana Cronin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin:\u003c/b> Before we get into the \u003ci>current \u003c/i>water quality in the bay, I think we need to back up to appreciate how far we’ve come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because 60 years ago the answer to Robbe’s question would unequivocally have been “No.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>Back in the 60s, raw sewage from the various treatment plants in the Bay area were going untreated into San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Eileen White is the executive officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. That’s the local agency in charge of tracking and regulating what goes into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yes, she’s saying that, 60 years ago, when you flushed the toilet, it essentially went straight into the bay. Refineries and industrial facilities also pumped their waste directly into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But we’ve come a long way since then, in large part because of the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>That required the wastewater treatment plants to do secondary treatment and monitoring, and really cleaned up San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Now, Eileen estimates that 95 percent of the time, the bay meets national water quality standards. Sixty years ago that number was closer to 20 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So we’ve come a long way!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, if you’ve been paying attention lately, you know that the bay still has some big problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News Clip 1:\u003c/b> This is the scene folks up and down the San Francisco Bay have been witnessing for the past two weeks as a harmful algae bloom has taken off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News Clip 2:\u003c/b> Enviro groups say the toxic algae bloom is acting like a deadly wildfire underwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News Clip 3:\u003c/b> The algae has been found along the shoreline along the shoreline from Emeryville to Albany.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News Clip 4: \u003c/b>Algae blooms closing down lakes not in late AUgust or September, but in the beginning of July. That’s unusual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Algae blooms occur when conditions are right: the water’s warm and calm, and the algae has nutrients — like sewage or other runoff — to feed on. Algae is a naturally occurring plant in the bay, and when it blooms, it’s not always a bad thing. But certain algae blooms produce toxins that make them dangerous for animals and humans. Other algae blooms are not toxic, but they eat up all the oxygen in the water, which suffocates fish and other wildlife living there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s what happened two years ago at Lake Merritt in Oakland, when tens of thousands of dead fish and other aquatic critters started washing up on shore. Tests later confirmed, it was an algae bloom, and it killed almost \u003ci>everything \u003c/i>living in Lake Merritt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental scientist Kristina Yoshida remembers it well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>Honestly, I think it took the fish kills for people to realize how much was in here when they saw all the dead sharks and the bat rays. And there’s the huge striped bass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Lake Merritt is a tidal estuary, meaning it’s not fully enclosed, and is fed by both salt and freshwater. It’s basically an extension of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I meet Kristina at a boat launch on Lake Merritt. And soon after we get there, we spot what Kristina thinks are tunicates, chunky, worm-like creatures suctioned onto the concrete launch pad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>It’s sure exciting to see how much the wildlife has come back after the fish kill in 2022, when most of everything died in here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Recently, Kristina and her team started collecting nutrient samples at various locations around the lake to help put together a nutrient management plan, to try to avoid — or at least minimize the impacts — of future algae blooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sounds of a speed boat\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>We launch a small speed boat and start slowly cruising around the lake, going from site to site to collect samples and take down some measurements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>Here’s your bottles. And I’m going to grab coordinates so we know where we are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>She pulls a device hooked to a buoy out of the water, which tracks things like temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>Temperature right now is 21.6.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>That’s celsius. And it’s cooler than Kristina was expecting. Because we went out in October, just days after an intense heat wave, which warms up the water and can ripen it for an algae bloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>I was worried with the heat wave that we were going to get another red tide or algae bloom. Yesterday I got three calls for harmful algal blooms in our region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Luckily, this year, Lake Merritt — and most of the bay — was spared. But algae blooms pop up every year, all over the Bay Area, and they’re getting worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s another consequence of, you guessed it, climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>We have longer, warmer summers, less precipitation. And so those situations set up perfect conditions for these algae blooms to occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Kristina says Lake Merritt is primed for another big algae bloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s why the sampling is so important because it’s going to help the city take on a plan to make it more resilient to these blooms. The plan is still in its infancy, but the idea is to try to come up with ways to save as many creatures as possible when the next inevitable algae bloom hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quick little disclaimer here, the city of Oakland does not recommend swimming in Lake Merritt. Its relatively small surface area and urban surroundings make it more polluted than other parts of the bay and accidentally ingesting the lake water could be dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Music starts\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Let’s get back now to Robbe’s question: Is it safe to swim in the bay? I asked Eileen White, with the water quality control board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>I would say yes, the bay is definitely swimmable…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>You may sense the caveats coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eileen says she would not recommend swimming in the bay after the first big rainstorm of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>The first storm of the year usually brings a lot of pollutants into the bay because it’s washing down all that stuff that’s been there, accumulating all summer and all fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Things like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>It can be litter. It can be bird poop. It can be dog poop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>After any big rain storm, really, Eileen says swimming is riskier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in the Bay Area, those big rain storms are becoming more common and more intense with climate change. So-called atmospheric rivers, which park themselves in the sky and can dump feet of rain within a few days, cause even more stormwater to runoff into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, Eileen says, that can complicate things for our wastewater treatment agencies. Especially in San Francisco, which has a \u003ci>combined \u003c/i>stormwater and wastewater system. That means they have one set of pipes underground through which all water flows out of your toilet, and your storm drain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That system can get easily overwhelmed, Eileen says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>When they get these really big storms, they can’t store enough, you know, that the runoff is coming. And so not all the stormwater can get treated and the wastewater, full treatment at their plants. And so that can result in some bacteria in the bay in certain parts of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>That happens about 10 times per year on average. In total, San Francisco discharges nearly 2 billion gallons of combined stormwater and raw sewage each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that poses a big public health risk for those who recreate in the bay… especially swimmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Environmental Protection Agency along with local environmental groups are currently suing San Francisco for what they say are repeated violations of the Clean Water Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco, in turn, is suing the EPA, saying the agency’s restrictions on how much sewage it can discharge are too vague.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That lawsuit made it all the way to the Supreme Court last year. The justices heard arguments in October, and are expected to present a decision by the time the current term ends in June 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Music starts\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>In the meantime, Eileen says wastewater agencies are required to conduct tests after they accidentally leak sewage and also put up signs in affected areas, which can be anywhere around the bay, including right offshore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that doesn’t always deter everyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>Some swimmers will still decide, you know, they’re the diehard swimmers in the bay. And they may risk getting some skin rash or an infection if they swim in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>It might not kill you, but swimming in contaminated water could lead to a fever, vomiting and diarrhea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My advice? Check local news, city and wastewater agency websites… and look for signs on the beach before you dive in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no real satisfying yes-or-no answer to Robbe’s question. It’s more like yes, \u003ci>sometimes \u003c/i>and no \u003ci>sometimes. \u003c/i>It’s yes in \u003ci>some \u003c/i>places and no in others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is that enough to convince Robbe to take the plunge?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sounds of waves breaking softly\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Maybe you could just start off kind of telling me, like, where we are right now and. And what we’re here to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>Yeah, we’re on Albany Beach, near sunset, and I’m about to probably jump into the water here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>After listening to this episode, Robbe very bravely agreed to meet up with me for his first-ever swim in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first, we had to check if the conditions were safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>I haven’t seen any signs posted, but I was curious to check out if there are any swim advisories. I just looked up water quality East Bay, and there’s this great website with all of these different parks around the advisories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Robbe pulls out his phone and pulls up the East Bay parks website, which has a map of different sampling points around the East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>Let’s see, swim beach conditions. It opens as a PDF… All right! Low risk. It’s green.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>And with that, Robbe takes off his shoes, strips down to his bathing suit and starts walking down toward the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He stands on the edge of where the waves are breaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>It’s cleaner than I thought at the edge. From a distance it looks a lot more muddy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>He wades out, until the water is up to his stomach, almost beyond the reach of my microphone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He seems ready to plunge, so I give him a countdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: Three, two, one. \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sounds of splashing\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>How’s it feel?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>It’s a bit colder. But I kind of want some more!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Yeah!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Robbe swims freestyle a few lengths, seems to be enjoying himself. But the cold eventually gets the best of him, and he sloshes back out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Man, How does that feel?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>Exhilarating. Yeah, it’s my whole body’s kind of tingling. It’s definitely a little chilly, but, yeah, I’d recommend others who are curious to give it a shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin:\u003c/b> Robbe told me he recently signed up for a triathlon. And now that he knows it’s safe to swim in — most of the time — the bay may have just become his new training ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b> That was KQED’s Dana Cronin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a little hiatus in December, we are back with a new voting round this January. Head online to BayCurious.org to cast your vote — no signing up or annoying hoops to jump through. Here are your options:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Voice Over 1:\u003c/b> Who is “Stevens” and why is Stevens Creek in San Jose and Cupertino named after him or her?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Voice Over 2:\u003c/b> Why does San Jose have such a high concentration of Vietnamese people?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Voice Over 3:\u003c/b> I see peacocks sometimes in the East Foothills of San Jose. They certainly are not native to California. How did they get here?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b> Bay Curious is made by Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price. Katrina Schwartz rejoins us this week after her maternity leave, and we’ve got a new Bay Curious team member — baby Esme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sounds of baby babbling\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We get additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED Family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We hope you’ve had a great start to 2025. I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Thanks for listening!\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Is It Safe to Swim in the Bay? Braving the Cold (and Sometimes Dirty) Water | KQED",
"description": "View the full episode transcript. Swimming in the San Francisco Bay is more than a hobby or a form of exercise for the avid community of swimmers who show up regularly to take a dip. It’s practically a spiritual experience. "I work a pretty stressful job as a cardiac ICU nurse. Being in the water is the time that my mind is quiet and I'm able to just be in the present moment,” said Kerianne Brownlie, who regularly swims at Albany Beach, among other spots around the region. “It's just you and the water. You feel every little piece of",
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"headline": "Is It Safe to Swim in the Bay? Braving the Cold (and Sometimes Dirty) Water",
"datePublished": "2025-01-09T03:00:06-08:00",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swimming in the San Francisco Bay is more than a hobby or a form of exercise for the avid community of swimmers who show up regularly to take a dip. It’s practically a spiritual experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I work a pretty stressful job as a cardiac ICU nurse. Being in the water is the time that my mind is quiet and I’m able to just be in the present moment,” said Kerianne Brownlie, who regularly swims at Albany Beach, among other spots around the region. “It’s just you and the water. You feel every little piece of seaweed touching you. You feel the full chilliness of whatever the temperature is that day. And you get really in tune with your body in a way that I haven’t found in other sports on land.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brownlie swims without a wetsuit — it’s less to fuss with — and doesn’t worry too much about water quality. But that’s not the case for Bay Curious listener Robbe Verhofste. He’s been curious about swimming in the bay since he moved here five years ago, but he’s been hesitant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robbe grew up in Iowa, where agriculture pollution is a big problem in lakes and rivers. It can make water dangerous — even lethal — for swimmers. So, he’s always cautious of water so close to industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[In Iowa], it was really clear when the water was safe and the water was not safe,” he said. He finds the question a lot murkier in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For some reason, I’m always drawn to jumping into the waters that face the Pacific, so Stinson Beach or Pacifica or Ocean Beach,” Robbe said. “I’m quite a bit more timid to jump in around the interior of the bay itself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is Robbe right to be timid? Is it safe to swim in the bay? And if so, are there certain areas or times of year to avoid?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cleaner than it was in the ‘60s\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before diving (pun intended) into \u003ci>current \u003c/i>water quality in the bay, let’s take a step back in order to appreciate how far we’ve come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sixty years ago, the answer to Robbe’s question would have unequivocally been: No, it’s not safe to swim in the bay. That’s because, in the 1960s, raw sewage from treatment plants flowed directly into the bay, untreated. In other words, when residents flushed the toilet, it essentially went straight into the bay. Refineries and industrial facilities also pumped their waste directly into San Francisco bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, all that started to change in 1972 with the passage of the Clean Water Act, which required wastewater treatment plants to do a secondary treatment before discharging water into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we should feel proud,” said Eileen White, executive officer with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, \u003ca href=\"https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sanfranciscobay/\">the local agency in charge of regulating\u003c/a> what goes into the bay. “We’ve come a long way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to White, back in the 1960s, the bay met national water quality standards only 20% of the time. Now, she estimates that number is closer to 95%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Toxic algae is the biggest threat\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raw sewage may no longer be pumping into the bay, but now there’s a new challenge — harmful algae blooms, which are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1983631/last-summers-fish-killing-algae-bloom-is-back-in-the-bay\">cropping up more often\u003c/a> due in part to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12020588\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12020588\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138.jpg\" alt=\"Three people with lanterns stand in a body of dark water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250106_BaySwim_DMB_00138-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(from left) Alison LaBonte, of Berkeley, David Meyer of Berkeley, Kerianne Brownlie, and Maja Harren, of Oakland, meet at Albany Beach for an early morning swim in Albany, Calif., Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. The group meets at 6 a.m. to get a swim in before work. The swimmers wear lights on their heads and inside floatations attached to their bodies for increased visibility. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Algae blooms occur when the water is warm and calm and the algae has plenty of nitrogen and phosphorus to eat. Algae is a naturally occurring plant in the bay, and when it blooms, it’s not always a bad thing. However, certain algae blooms produce toxins that are dangerous to animals and humans. Other types of algae blooms are not toxic, but they eat up all the oxygen in the water, which suffocates fish and other wildlife living there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s what happened in Oakland’s Lake Merritt in 2022, when an algae bloom killed tens of thousands of fish and other aquatic critters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You could see corpses everywhere,” said Kristina Yoshida, environmental scientist with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. “That was a sad day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lake Merritt is a tidal estuary, meaning it’s not fully enclosed and is fed by both salt and freshwater. It’s connected to — and is essentially an extension of — the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while the city of Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10900605/what-would-it-take-to-make-lake-merritt-swimmable\">does \u003ci>not \u003c/i>recommend humans swim\u003c/a> in Lake Merritt, the lake is home to plenty of aquatic creatures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it took the fish kill for people to realize how much was in here when they saw all the dead sharks and the bat rays and the huge striped bass,” Yoshida said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and her team recently started collecting nutrient samples around Lake Merritt in order to help the city of Oakland establish a nutrient management plan. The plan, still in its infancy, aims to minimize the impacts of future algae blooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to get baseline data to help us inform what sort of management plan we’re going to do for the lake,” Yoshida said. “We’re trying to understand the system better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Algae blooms are becoming more common in the Bay Area for a variety of reasons. Climate change is a major contributor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have longer, warmer summers and less precipitation. And so those situations set up perfect conditions for these algae blooms to occur,” Yoshida said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blooms are largely fed by nutrient runoff from sewage treatment plants. Although treatment plants have improved their water cleanup strategies since the 1960s, they are still the top contributors of nutrients into the bay, \u003ca href=\"https://baykeeper.org/harmful-algae-blooms/\">according to San Francisco Baykeeper\u003c/a>. And in fact, the San Francisco bay has some of the highest levels of nutrient pollutants of any estuary in the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nutrients on their own aren’t a bad thing, but they can increase the frequency and severity of algae blooms – like wind fueling a wildfire. That’s why the local water quality control board is working to cut down on that pollution by setting limits on wastewater discharge. And treatment agencies themselves are also piloting projects to reduce nutrient output.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We understand that nutrient discharges from wastewater treatment plants need to be reduced,” said Alicia Chakrabarti, manager of the Waste Water Environmental Services Division at the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EMBUD). “Because whatever factors are causing increased algal blooms and less resilience to the nutrients is clearly changing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>So… is it safe to swim in the bay?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The short answer to Robbe’s question is: Yes — with some caveats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12020582\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12020582\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422.jpg\" alt=\"A swimmer in an orange cap cuts through a large open body of water.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20241220_BaySwim_DMB_00422-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kerianne Brownlie swims in the bay near Albany Beach in Albany, Calif., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>White does \u003ci>not \u003c/i>recommend swimming after the first big rainstorm of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The first storm of the year usually brings a lot of pollutants into the bay because it’s washing down all that stuff that’s been there, accumulating all summer and all fall,” White said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rain washes trash, bird and dog poop and oil from the roads into the bay, increasing the risk of infections and skin rashes for swimmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And those big rainstorms are becoming more frequent and intense in the Bay Area. Multiple atmospheric rivers — which can transport \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1935067/rivers-in-the-sky-what-you-need-to-know-about-atmospheric-river-storms\">more than 25 times the moisture\u003c/a> that flows through the mouth of the Mississippi River — have hit our region over the past several years, bringing with them \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016676/intense-california-storm-caused-2-6-million-damage-sonoma-county\">intense flooding and storm damage\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Storms not only increase stormwater runoff, they can also overwhelm our wastewater treatment facilities. They don’t have the storage to handle all the incoming water and, as a result, bacteria can end up in parts of the bay, according to White.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco is the only coastal city in California with a \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/our-systems/sewer-system/our-combined-sewer\">combined stormwater and wastewater system\u003c/a>. That means there’s only one set of pipes for both sewage and storm runoff, making it particularly vulnerable to big storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each year, San Francisco discharges nearly 2 billion gallons of combined stormwater and raw sewage into the bay. That poses a big public health risk for those who recreate in the bay — especially swimmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Environmental Protection Agency is currently suing San Francisco for what it says are repeated violations of the Clean Water Act. San Francisco, in turn, is suing the EPA, saying the agency’s restrictions on how much sewage it can discharge are too vague.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That lawsuit \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009496/san-francisco-challenges-epa-in-supreme-court-over-water-pollution-standards\">made it all the way to the Supreme Court\u003c/a> this year. The justices heard arguments in October and are expected to present a decision by the time the term ends in June 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, wastewater agencies are required to conduct tests after they accidentally leak sewage. They’re also required to put up signs in affected areas, which can be anywhere around the bay, including right offshore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White’s advice? Look for signs on the beach and check local news and \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">city websites\u003c/a> before you dive in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s exactly what question asker Robbe Verhofste did when he decided to take a plunge into the bay after hearing this report. When he saw that water conditions were considered safe near Albany Beach, he stripped down to his bathing suit and braved the cold water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12020816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12020816\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized.jpg\" alt=\"A man gives the thumbs up sign standing on a beach next to a large body of water.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1040\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized-800x433.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized-1020x553.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sized-1536x832.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robbe Verhofste takes the plunge into the bay after learning the water is often safe for swimming. \u003ccite>(Dana Cronin/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My whole body’s kind of tingling,” he said. “It’s definitely a little chilly, but, yeah, I’d recommend others who are curious to give it a shot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12020818\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12020818\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized.jpg\" alt=\"The silhouette of man standing out in a large body of water, looking at the sunset behind a cityscape.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1040\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized-800x433.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized-1020x553.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/Robbe-sunset-sized-1536x832.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robbe Verhofste takes in the sunset after a swim in San Francisco Bay. \u003ccite>(Dana Cronin/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In fact, as he trains for an upcoming triathlon, he’s thinking the bay will be the perfect place to get some open-water swimming experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b> It’s a brisk winter day on Albany Beach in the East Bay. Kerianne Brownlie and I are sitting on a piece of driftwood, overlooking a calm and flat San Francisco Bay. I’m wearing my big winter puffy jacket. Kerianne? She’s in a swimsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kerianne Brownlie: \u003c/b>In 2020, I had made the decision to get back into swimming. I wanted to join a pool team, and with everything closed, I just decided, well, we have a bay right here. That water seems to be open. And so I actually went down to the Berkeley Marina one day on my own and just hopped in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003c/b>\u003ci>Stepping into water sounds\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003c/b>\u003cb>Kerianne Brownlie: \u003c/b>I remember just getting in and thinking like, okay, this is cold, but it feels okay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>She picked a landmark about 500 yards away, put her head down and started swimming toward it. By the time she returned to where she started, she knew she’d discovered something special.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kerianne Brownlie: \u003c/b>And then I felt totally hooked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Bring up swimming ambi \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kerianne Brownlie: \u003c/b>So I work a pretty stressful job as a cardiac ICU nurse. And so really being in the water is the time that my mind is quiet and all of those thoughts shut off and I’m able to just be in the present moment. You feel every little piece of seaweed touching you. You know, you feel the full chilliness of of whatever the temperature is that day. And you get really in tune with your body in a way that I haven’t found in other sports on land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>Swimming in the Bay is more than a hobby or a form of exercise. It’s practically a spiritual experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kerianne started out swimming 20, 30 minutes, but was soon drawn to longer swims. Right now, she’s training to swim the English Channel — some 21 miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that brings us to our question asker this week, Robbe Verhofste. He’s taken notice of swimmers in the Bay like Kerianne. He’s been curious about giving it a try himself since he moved here 5 years ago. But, he’s been hesitant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>For some reason, I’m always drawn to jumping into the waters that face the Pacific. So Stinson Beach or Pacifica or Ocean Beach, and I’m quite a bit more timid to jump in around the interior of the bay itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>Timid because he’s not sure whether it’s safe! No, he’s not afraid of sharks or the cold water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robbe grew up in Iowa, where \u003ci>agriculture \u003c/i>pollution is a big problem. It can make water dangerous — even lethal — to swim in. So he’s used to thinking twice before jumping into a body of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>There it was really clear when the water was safe and the water was not safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>So he’s wondering: what about the bay? Is it safe to swim in?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>If I knew that I was going to come out without issue I would absolutely love to spend more time in this body of water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Bay Curious theme music begins\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>I’m Olivia Allen-Price, and on today’s episode of Bay Curious: Is it safe to swim in the Bay? Are there certain areas, or times of year, to avoid? Can we convince Robbe to take the plunge? Or will what we find scare him away? That’s all coming up, after this quick break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/b>To find out more about water quality in the bay and to advise Robbe on whether or not to take the plunge we sent out reporter Dana Cronin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin:\u003c/b> Before we get into the \u003ci>current \u003c/i>water quality in the bay, I think we need to back up to appreciate how far we’ve come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because 60 years ago the answer to Robbe’s question would unequivocally have been “No.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>Back in the 60s, raw sewage from the various treatment plants in the Bay area were going untreated into San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Eileen White is the executive officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. That’s the local agency in charge of tracking and regulating what goes into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yes, she’s saying that, 60 years ago, when you flushed the toilet, it essentially went straight into the bay. Refineries and industrial facilities also pumped their waste directly into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But we’ve come a long way since then, in large part because of the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>That required the wastewater treatment plants to do secondary treatment and monitoring, and really cleaned up San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Now, Eileen estimates that 95 percent of the time, the bay meets national water quality standards. Sixty years ago that number was closer to 20 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So we’ve come a long way!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, if you’ve been paying attention lately, you know that the bay still has some big problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News Clip 1:\u003c/b> This is the scene folks up and down the San Francisco Bay have been witnessing for the past two weeks as a harmful algae bloom has taken off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News Clip 2:\u003c/b> Enviro groups say the toxic algae bloom is acting like a deadly wildfire underwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News Clip 3:\u003c/b> The algae has been found along the shoreline along the shoreline from Emeryville to Albany.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>News Clip 4: \u003c/b>Algae blooms closing down lakes not in late AUgust or September, but in the beginning of July. That’s unusual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Algae blooms occur when conditions are right: the water’s warm and calm, and the algae has nutrients — like sewage or other runoff — to feed on. Algae is a naturally occurring plant in the bay, and when it blooms, it’s not always a bad thing. But certain algae blooms produce toxins that make them dangerous for animals and humans. Other algae blooms are not toxic, but they eat up all the oxygen in the water, which suffocates fish and other wildlife living there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s what happened two years ago at Lake Merritt in Oakland, when tens of thousands of dead fish and other aquatic critters started washing up on shore. Tests later confirmed, it was an algae bloom, and it killed almost \u003ci>everything \u003c/i>living in Lake Merritt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental scientist Kristina Yoshida remembers it well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>Honestly, I think it took the fish kills for people to realize how much was in here when they saw all the dead sharks and the bat rays. And there’s the huge striped bass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Lake Merritt is a tidal estuary, meaning it’s not fully enclosed, and is fed by both salt and freshwater. It’s basically an extension of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I meet Kristina at a boat launch on Lake Merritt. And soon after we get there, we spot what Kristina thinks are tunicates, chunky, worm-like creatures suctioned onto the concrete launch pad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>It’s sure exciting to see how much the wildlife has come back after the fish kill in 2022, when most of everything died in here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Recently, Kristina and her team started collecting nutrient samples at various locations around the lake to help put together a nutrient management plan, to try to avoid — or at least minimize the impacts — of future algae blooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sounds of a speed boat\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>We launch a small speed boat and start slowly cruising around the lake, going from site to site to collect samples and take down some measurements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>Here’s your bottles. And I’m going to grab coordinates so we know where we are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>She pulls a device hooked to a buoy out of the water, which tracks things like temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>Temperature right now is 21.6.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>That’s celsius. And it’s cooler than Kristina was expecting. Because we went out in October, just days after an intense heat wave, which warms up the water and can ripen it for an algae bloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>I was worried with the heat wave that we were going to get another red tide or algae bloom. Yesterday I got three calls for harmful algal blooms in our region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Luckily, this year, Lake Merritt — and most of the bay — was spared. But algae blooms pop up every year, all over the Bay Area, and they’re getting worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s another consequence of, you guessed it, climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Kristina Yoshida: \u003c/b>We have longer, warmer summers, less precipitation. And so those situations set up perfect conditions for these algae blooms to occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Kristina says Lake Merritt is primed for another big algae bloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s why the sampling is so important because it’s going to help the city take on a plan to make it more resilient to these blooms. The plan is still in its infancy, but the idea is to try to come up with ways to save as many creatures as possible when the next inevitable algae bloom hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quick little disclaimer here, the city of Oakland does not recommend swimming in Lake Merritt. Its relatively small surface area and urban surroundings make it more polluted than other parts of the bay and accidentally ingesting the lake water could be dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Music starts\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Let’s get back now to Robbe’s question: Is it safe to swim in the bay? I asked Eileen White, with the water quality control board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>I would say yes, the bay is definitely swimmable…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>You may sense the caveats coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eileen says she would not recommend swimming in the bay after the first big rainstorm of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>The first storm of the year usually brings a lot of pollutants into the bay because it’s washing down all that stuff that’s been there, accumulating all summer and all fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Things like:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>It can be litter. It can be bird poop. It can be dog poop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>After any big rain storm, really, Eileen says swimming is riskier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in the Bay Area, those big rain storms are becoming more common and more intense with climate change. So-called atmospheric rivers, which park themselves in the sky and can dump feet of rain within a few days, cause even more stormwater to runoff into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, Eileen says, that can complicate things for our wastewater treatment agencies. Especially in San Francisco, which has a \u003ci>combined \u003c/i>stormwater and wastewater system. That means they have one set of pipes underground through which all water flows out of your toilet, and your storm drain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That system can get easily overwhelmed, Eileen says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>When they get these really big storms, they can’t store enough, you know, that the runoff is coming. And so not all the stormwater can get treated and the wastewater, full treatment at their plants. And so that can result in some bacteria in the bay in certain parts of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>That happens about 10 times per year on average. In total, San Francisco discharges nearly 2 billion gallons of combined stormwater and raw sewage each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that poses a big public health risk for those who recreate in the bay… especially swimmers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Environmental Protection Agency along with local environmental groups are currently suing San Francisco for what they say are repeated violations of the Clean Water Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco, in turn, is suing the EPA, saying the agency’s restrictions on how much sewage it can discharge are too vague.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That lawsuit made it all the way to the Supreme Court last year. The justices heard arguments in October, and are expected to present a decision by the time the current term ends in June 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Music starts\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>In the meantime, Eileen says wastewater agencies are required to conduct tests after they accidentally leak sewage and also put up signs in affected areas, which can be anywhere around the bay, including right offshore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that doesn’t always deter everyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Eileen White: \u003c/b>Some swimmers will still decide, you know, they’re the diehard swimmers in the bay. And they may risk getting some skin rash or an infection if they swim in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>It might not kill you, but swimming in contaminated water could lead to a fever, vomiting and diarrhea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My advice? Check local news, city and wastewater agency websites… and look for signs on the beach before you dive in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no real satisfying yes-or-no answer to Robbe’s question. It’s more like yes, \u003ci>sometimes \u003c/i>and no \u003ci>sometimes. \u003c/i>It’s yes in \u003ci>some \u003c/i>places and no in others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is that enough to convince Robbe to take the plunge?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sounds of waves breaking softly\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Maybe you could just start off kind of telling me, like, where we are right now and. And what we’re here to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>Yeah, we’re on Albany Beach, near sunset, and I’m about to probably jump into the water here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>After listening to this episode, Robbe very bravely agreed to meet up with me for his first-ever swim in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first, we had to check if the conditions were safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>I haven’t seen any signs posted, but I was curious to check out if there are any swim advisories. I just looked up water quality East Bay, and there’s this great website with all of these different parks around the advisories.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Robbe pulls out his phone and pulls up the East Bay parks website, which has a map of different sampling points around the East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>Let’s see, swim beach conditions. It opens as a PDF… All right! Low risk. It’s green.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>And with that, Robbe takes off his shoes, strips down to his bathing suit and starts walking down toward the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He stands on the edge of where the waves are breaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>It’s cleaner than I thought at the edge. From a distance it looks a lot more muddy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>He wades out, until the water is up to his stomach, almost beyond the reach of my microphone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He seems ready to plunge, so I give him a countdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: Three, two, one. \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sounds of splashing\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>How’s it feel?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>It’s a bit colder. But I kind of want some more!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Yeah!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Robbe swims freestyle a few lengths, seems to be enjoying himself. But the cold eventually gets the best of him, and he sloshes back out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin: \u003c/b>Man, How does that feel?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Robbe Verhofste: \u003c/b>Exhilarating. Yeah, it’s my whole body’s kind of tingling. It’s definitely a little chilly, but, yeah, I’d recommend others who are curious to give it a shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dana Cronin:\u003c/b> Robbe told me he recently signed up for a triathlon. And now that he knows it’s safe to swim in — most of the time — the bay may have just become his new training ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b> That was KQED’s Dana Cronin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a little hiatus in December, we are back with a new voting round this January. Head online to BayCurious.org to cast your vote — no signing up or annoying hoops to jump through. Here are your options:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Voice Over 1:\u003c/b> Who is “Stevens” and why is Stevens Creek in San Jose and Cupertino named after him or her?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Voice Over 2:\u003c/b> Why does San Jose have such a high concentration of Vietnamese people?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Voice Over 3:\u003c/b> I see peacocks sometimes in the East Foothills of San Jose. They certainly are not native to California. How did they get here?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/b> Bay Curious is made by Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price. Katrina Schwartz rejoins us this week after her maternity leave, and we’ve got a new Bay Curious team member — baby Esme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Sounds of baby babbling\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We get additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED Family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We hope you’ve had a great start to 2025. I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Thanks for listening!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"content": "\u003cp>The intense and fast-moving fires that have cut a path of destruction through the suburbs of Los Angeles, killing at least two people, are being driven by \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/shows/take-two/the-santa-ana-winds-a-cultural-and-destructive-force-in-southern-california\">the region’s powerful Santa Ana winds\u003c/a>, with gusts that in some cases surpass hurricane-strength.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two largest blazes — \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/fires-southern-california-gusty-winds\">the Palisades \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/eaton-fire-altadena\">Eaton Fires\u003c/a> — have consumed more than 10,000 acres each and prompted mandatory evacuations for almost 70,000 people as of Wednesday. Another 58,000 people have been warned to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the Santa Anas are \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/shows/take-two/the-santa-ana-winds-a-cultural-and-destructive-force-in-southern-california\">a routine part of life\u003c/a> for people living in southern California, the winds are particularly violent and destructive this time around, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferocious winds are likely to make it difficult or impossible for firefighters to contain the blazes until conditions improve. For now, however, the National Weather Service is warning of sustained winds up to 40 mph in the region, with gusts up to 80 mph in the area of the wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mike Wofford, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service’s office in Oxnard, Calif., says \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/santa-ana-winds-come-back-bringing-the-potential-of-more-fire-weather-this-week\">the Santa Ana winds are most common during the cooler months\u003c/a> from September through May. They are caused by high pressure over the desert of the southwestern U.S. that pushes through the mountain passages in Southern California toward an area of lower pressure off the Pacific coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The high pressure that develops over that region, coupled with lower pressure down over southern California, creates this strong flow of air that comes out of Nevada and hits our coastal mountain range, the San Gabriel Mountains, and out to the Inland Empire area,” Wofford says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The key characteristic is that the winds are what’s known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/news/earthword-katabatic-winds\">katabatic\u003c/a>, meaning they flow downhill, says Mingfang Ting, a professor at Columbia University’s Climate School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the air mass drops in altitude, it compresses and heats up — by about 10 degrees Celsius per kilometer (18 degrees Fahrenheit per 0.6 of a mile). It’s a “very effective way of warming up the air,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the air warms up, it also decreases its humidity,” she says. Funneling through narrow mountain passes, it also speeds up in much the same way that air moving through a tunnel or the wind between buildings is stronger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Normally, that makes for warm, dry Santa Anas that can be reach 40–60 mph, with gusts exceeding 70 mph.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “this one is not typical,” Wofford says. This time, the Santa Anas are coupled with “very strong winds in the upper atmosphere. In addition to funneling through the mountains, they went up and over the mountains and then they descended down into the basin area,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result is wind gusts as high as 100 mph in some places, he says, adding that the current dry conditions mean, “everything is just primed and ready to go” for wildfires.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_12020988,news_12020835,news_12020918\"]“Obviously, we’ve got a zillion cars in the area. If one breaks down, overheats, and someone pulls over next to an area where there’s some dry brush, that can kick it off,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Park Williams, a professor of geography who heads the HyFiVeS Research Group (Hydroclimate, Fire, Vegetation, and Society) at UCLA describes the current scenario as a “highly improbable sequence of extreme climate and weather events over the past two years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not just the dry weather this year, he says, but “from winter 2023 through spring 2024, the Los Angeles area experienced an exceptionally wet climate and this led to the growth of an extraordinary amount of new vegetation biomass in the hills and mountains surrounding the city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What role might climate change play? As \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/30/1196637141/climate-change-makes-wildfires-in-california-more-explosive\">NPR has reported previously\u003c/a>, a hotter atmosphere due to climate change can lead to the rapid spread of wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for having an impact on the frequency and intensity of Santa Ana winds, Ting is circumspect. “I’m not sure,” she says. “I think more importantly in this case, if you wanted to say anything about the role [that] global climate change plays, is the dryness in the region.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/\">\u003cem>LAist’s coverage\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the latest.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The intense and fast-moving fires that have cut a path of destruction through the suburbs of Los Angeles, killing at least two people, are being driven by \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/shows/take-two/the-santa-ana-winds-a-cultural-and-destructive-force-in-southern-california\">the region’s powerful Santa Ana winds\u003c/a>, with gusts that in some cases surpass hurricane-strength.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The two largest blazes — \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/fires-southern-california-gusty-winds\">the Palisades \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/eaton-fire-altadena\">Eaton Fires\u003c/a> — have consumed more than 10,000 acres each and prompted mandatory evacuations for almost 70,000 people as of Wednesday. Another 58,000 people have been warned to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the Santa Anas are \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/shows/take-two/the-santa-ana-winds-a-cultural-and-destructive-force-in-southern-california\">a routine part of life\u003c/a> for people living in southern California, the winds are particularly violent and destructive this time around, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferocious winds are likely to make it difficult or impossible for firefighters to contain the blazes until conditions improve. For now, however, the National Weather Service is warning of sustained winds up to 40 mph in the region, with gusts up to 80 mph in the area of the wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mike Wofford, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service’s office in Oxnard, Calif., says \u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/santa-ana-winds-come-back-bringing-the-potential-of-more-fire-weather-this-week\">the Santa Ana winds are most common during the cooler months\u003c/a> from September through May. They are caused by high pressure over the desert of the southwestern U.S. that pushes through the mountain passages in Southern California toward an area of lower pressure off the Pacific coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The high pressure that develops over that region, coupled with lower pressure down over southern California, creates this strong flow of air that comes out of Nevada and hits our coastal mountain range, the San Gabriel Mountains, and out to the Inland Empire area,” Wofford says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The key characteristic is that the winds are what’s known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.usgs.gov/news/earthword-katabatic-winds\">katabatic\u003c/a>, meaning they flow downhill, says Mingfang Ting, a professor at Columbia University’s Climate School.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the air mass drops in altitude, it compresses and heats up — by about 10 degrees Celsius per kilometer (18 degrees Fahrenheit per 0.6 of a mile). It’s a “very effective way of warming up the air,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the air warms up, it also decreases its humidity,” she says. Funneling through narrow mountain passes, it also speeds up in much the same way that air moving through a tunnel or the wind between buildings is stronger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Normally, that makes for warm, dry Santa Anas that can be reach 40–60 mph, with gusts exceeding 70 mph.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “this one is not typical,” Wofford says. This time, the Santa Anas are coupled with “very strong winds in the upper atmosphere. In addition to funneling through the mountains, they went up and over the mountains and then they descended down into the basin area,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result is wind gusts as high as 100 mph in some places, he says, adding that the current dry conditions mean, “everything is just primed and ready to go” for wildfires.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Obviously, we’ve got a zillion cars in the area. If one breaks down, overheats, and someone pulls over next to an area where there’s some dry brush, that can kick it off,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Park Williams, a professor of geography who heads the HyFiVeS Research Group (Hydroclimate, Fire, Vegetation, and Society) at UCLA describes the current scenario as a “highly improbable sequence of extreme climate and weather events over the past two years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not just the dry weather this year, he says, but “from winter 2023 through spring 2024, the Los Angeles area experienced an exceptionally wet climate and this led to the growth of an extraordinary amount of new vegetation biomass in the hills and mountains surrounding the city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What role might climate change play? As \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/08/30/1196637141/climate-change-makes-wildfires-in-california-more-explosive\">NPR has reported previously\u003c/a>, a hotter atmosphere due to climate change can lead to the rapid spread of wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for having an impact on the frequency and intensity of Santa Ana winds, Ting is circumspect. “I’m not sure,” she says. “I think more importantly in this case, if you wanted to say anything about the role [that] global climate change plays, is the dryness in the region.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The California Newsroom is following the extreme weather from across the region. Click through to \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://laist.com/\">\u003cem>LAist’s coverage\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for the latest.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"soldout": {
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"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
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