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A drone view of buildings destroyed during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, California, U.S., January 15, 2025.
Winds pick up, then die down, but LA fire risk remains
Fires raging across Los Angeles have killed more than two dozen people and burned over 60 square miles, with more than 82,000 residents under evacuation orders in the county. Over 12,000 structures have been badly damaged or lost, sending rent costs skyrocketing and exacerbating LA’s preexisting housing crisis.
The fires are already among the worst in California’s history. On Wednesday, authorities issued a less severe wind warning, lowering the risk of fire in the coming days as winds later died down. But winds could threaten to pick up Monday, and with no rain in the forecast, fire conditions could worsen once again.
Toxic smoke is also a threat. On Tuesday, LA County issued a dust and ash warning as air quality drops and particulate matter circulates, raising the threat of health risks including asthma and premature death.
Firefighters from the US and around the world are working to get the blazes under control as criticism of LA Fire Department funding grows. Critics say the LAFD has been structurally underfunded, even as experts contend that no amount of funding or water would have been sufficient to quell the fires — the product of a “perfect storm” of dry conditions, stronger-than-usual Santa Ana winds, and the ongoing effects of climate change.A child, suffering from malnutrition, is treated at Port Sudan Paediatric Centre, during a visit by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to the country, in Sudan, on Sept. 7, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Cholera spreads in Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo turns to an unlikely source to boost tourism, Mass executions held in Iraq, Gunman hijacks bus in LA
430: Over 430 people have died from cholera in Sudan in the past month, according to the country’s health ministry, and the devastating civil war there is making it hard to provide treatment. Doctors Without Borders recently described the health system in Sudan as “decimated” and warned that the humanitarian response amid the cholera outbreak is “regularly obstructed by both warring parties.”
3: AC Milan, one of Italy’s top soccer teams, is reportedly in talks with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo for a three-year sponsorship deal that would see the club promote the African country as a tourism destination. But there’s an ongoing war in the DRC. Vacationing in a war zone – what could go wrong? The Italian ambassador to the country was killed there just three years ago when the convoy he was traveling with was ambushed, making it no surprise that Italy currently advises people against visiting the country.
21: Iraq executed 21 people, including a woman, on Wednesday, with most reportedly charged with terrorism. Rights groups like Amnesty International have fiercely criticized Iraq for convicting people on “overly broad and vague terrorism charges,” and they have urged the Iraqi government to halt executions.
7: A bus was hijacked by a gunman in Los Angeles on Wednesday and traveled nearly seven miles before coming to a stop after police used spike strips and punctured one of the tires. One passenger reportedly died from gunshot wounds. The suspect has surrendered, but the motive remains unclear.