Firefighters Face Intensifying Winds

January’s LA wildfires — The most destructive in Los Angeles history

The following transcript excerpts originate from an interview on MSNBC’s The Weekend. It was an impactful interview featuring Brian Rice, President of the California Professional Firefighters. SoCal Spotlight has sought permission to share it here.

Brian Rice discusses important information to help the public understand the current fire conditions on the ground. The topics include the conditions that drive fires and how brush fires become urban blazes. Rice stresses that donations to California Fire Foundation will get funds to individuals most affected, fast.

Current stats in the fight to contain LA’s wildfires

– 14,000 firefighters on ground today
– More than 1,700 fire engines & water tenders
– 80 aircraft

[Fire statistics as of 1/12/25 – 5 a.m. PST –  BRIAN RICE, President – CA Professional Firefighters]

What’s driving the fires?

Alicia: What drives the fires?

Brian: The wind. Imagine trying to fight a fire in hurricane force winds without the rain. They drive the fire in speed. The flow of oxygen helps a fire create its own weather at the site and out ahead of it. It intensifies the heat and it spreads the radiant heat. When you get winds that are predicted for today — 35 to 40 mile an hour sustained and up to 80 mile an hour on the ridge tops — if those winds hit like that, the game changes and fire fighting will stay. It will be intense, but it will also be about getting people out of harms way.

[As for] the resiliency of the firefighters, here’s what we know: there’s nobody else coming; it’s us, the people on the line; we’re getting help from out of state. We’re getting help from the National Guard. The governor, the state, CAL OES has intensified the response.

Homes and buildings destroyed — more than 12,000

So the men and women on the line know that those resources are coming in behind them. It bolsters their morale. It bolsters their resiliency. Firefighters don’t lose. When we see families like [that young family you showed at the top of the hour who lost their home] no matter how tired we are — it just re-energizes us to double down on our effort.

Symone: Firefighters who are on the frontlines fighting these fires they’re also protecting their own neighborhoods in their own homes. Many of the firefighters who are on the front lines have lost their own homes. How are you providing resources to not just communities but to the firefighters who are fighting these fires themselves?

Brian: It is a fire fight. It is a fight against nature and until somebody can have control over the wind we’re at the mercy of the weather right now. People need to understand. Fire has been a part of the nature of California in this country since the beginning of time. When you add people — there’s 40 million people in California — it changes the fuel load.

Brush fires become urban blazes

You can’t manage every acre of forest land. This is not a forest fire. This is a brushfire that transitions at the higher levels to more forested areas, at the lower level to urban areas in urban conflagration areas. When the wind is blowing, the fire gets ahead of steam. You are not going to stop it. California firefighters are the best in the world at fighting this type of a fire…

Everybody’s focused on two things that are number one, the most important: getting our community out of harm’s way and and taking care of and putting this damn fire out until the weather changes for us. People can say and talk and do what they want, but we’re at the mercy of the weather right now…

Donations that get directly to the people in the most need

I was on the ground at the Eaton Fire yesterday, at the evacuation center in Pasadena, passing out what we call our “save cards”. It’s a prepaid MasterCard [for] $250. I interacted with hundreds of residents of the Altadena area who lost their homes. And when you see the grace, and the determination, and people asking me, how are you? How are the firefighters? You’re dealing with somebody who’s lost everything. That’s who we need to take our inspiration from and double down because that’s who we’re here for.

As far as the foundation goes, we are expanding the resources we have. We’re getting resources in. We’re going to be there if people are looking for donations. I’m not necessarily wanting to do a pitch for the California Fire Foundation, but those donations go directly into the community, as low down as we can get, to have the most effect on the citizens. We’re just in one of those spots.

News from reputable sources more important than ever

In our nation with social media and instant news and everything. You just don’t know who’s talking or if they know what they’re talking about. I would caution people don’t buy into stuff; really stick to trusted sources. And we’re trying to stay out of the fray and just focus on the job; the leadership in this area, it’s tense. Our focus is not has not shifted; it’s doubled down [with only one mission] to get the fire out, save the community, start the rebuild.

MSNBC broadcasts The Weekend every Saturday and Sunday, at 5 a.m. PST. The Weekend hosts include Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend and Michael Steele.

Photos courtesy of @steve_san_diego

Donate to the California Wildfire Foundation to aid wildfire and disaster relief. https://cafirefoundation.org/

 

Post shared on 12 January 2025
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