‘We got really lucky’: Why California escaped another destructive fire season in 2022
Jurors watch a video of the fire on the beach Sunday, north of Los Angeles. A man walks across the sands of the fire-ravaged Pacific Ocean north of Los Angeles. Jurors watch a video of the fire on the beach Sunday, north of Los Angeles. A man walks across the sands of the fire-ravaged Pacific Ocean north of Los Angeles. Photo: Michael Short / Michael Short / Via AP Photo: Michael Short / Michael Short / Via AP Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close ‘We got really lucky’: Why California escaped another destructive fire season in 2022 1 / 3 Back to Gallery
A wildfire ripped through parts of West Los Angeles on Sunday, incinerating at least 6,100 acres before firefighters stopped the blazes from spreading north, officials said.
No injuries have been reported as crews moved in to contain the blaze, which is on the edge of Crenshaw Boulevard.
But the fire is just the latest in a string of blazes to scorch the region that has had to deal with record heat and fire season. Officials said the fires were caused by dry conditions, wind and an absence of fire restrictions.
The fire started Sunday afternoon on the Pacific Ocean, close to where a beach fire in 2019 killed 25 people and destroyed more than 350 homes.
The second-deadliest fire in California history killed 32 people last month in Los Angeles, but emergency officials credited Los Angeles firefighters for their quick response despite a raging blaze.
The next three deadly fires could be anywhere in the state, said Bill Van Niekerken, director of the fire and climate team for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
“It’s just a matter of time until another one is in the L.A. area. The most recent one was really bad, but there are many more,” he said. “It just takes one bad match. There is never a good match.”
The number of people killed during the fire broke the record for fatalities due to a single wildfire, set by the so-called “God’s Pocket” fire in 1996 in Marin County that killed 28 people.
