'Unprecedented wildfires show no sign of stopping' - expert

More than 30,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes north of Los Angeles after a new wildfire broke out in California.

Dr Olivia Haas, wildfire expert at the University of Reading, explains what has made the wildfires so devastating, what needs to happen for the wildfires to stop, and what future planning should look like to prevent further wildfire devastation. To arrange an interview with Dr Olivia Haas, contact the University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk

Dr Olivia Haas said: "LA faces an unprecedented combination of three critical wildfire elements. First, unusually wet weather triggered excessive vegetation growth. Now, severe drought has transformed this overgrown landscape into ideal kindling, ready to ignite. Third, weather conditions that help flames and embers race across the landscape. The more abundant and dry the natural materials, and the more favorable the weather, the more extreme these fires become.

"These wildfires will only stop when one of these elements gives way - either burning through all available vegetation, a return of moisture making materials too wet to burn, or a shift in weather patterns slowing the spread.

"Firefighters can't control the weather, so they concentrate on the other factors. They create firebreaks to limit available materials and dump water or fire retardant around active fire fronts. But once a wildfire intensifies and breaks containment, direct intervention becomes both dangerous and ineffective. Simply adding more crews on the ground rarely helps at this stage. The most likely resolution will come from changing weather conditions or the complete burning of available vegetation. When winds subside or conditions become wetter, ignitions decrease and fire spread slows. This finally allows firefighting efforts to become more effective and fires to be contained.

"The devastation to property and life is severe, leaving lasting damage across the region. This demands urgent changes. Smarter management of natural vegetation near urban areas and wildfire-conscious urban planning to prevent future catastrophes. Investing in prevention and management strategies will prove far more effective than pouring resources into firefighting efforts. Climate change makes these extreme conditions increasingly likely in LA, and attempting to fight such intense fires head-on will only become more hazardous and futile over time."