The LA Fires

It feels strange to mention wildfires and Los Angeles in the same breath. Yet, we have done so several times in the past few weeks. Wildfires, as the name suggests, refer to fire in the wild rather than in urban areas like LA. During my years living in Canada, I have seen news reports of acres of forests engulfed in flames as summer approaches. However, all these incidents have occurred in remote forest areas. The recent news brings to mind the small Canadian town of Lytton being consumed by wildfires in mere minutes in 2021, along with Lahaina, Hawaii, USA, in 2023, Jasper, Canada, in 2024, and many more rural and urban settlements, both large and small, across the globe.

Here in Toronto, I live within minutes of walking distance from ravines filled with trees. I love living close to such lush green spaces. I enjoy walking on the trails that wind through these areas. I adore the birds that these green space attract, and they often come to my balcony, capturing not only my attention but also Mr. O’s. But suddenly, a fear has set in. What if this summer, these beautiful green space go up in flames? It’s not that urban wildfires are unthinkable these days—just look at LA, after all. I can already imagine a big “No Entry” sign at the entrance to every lovely trail and park this summer, lest a fire breaks out and endangers recreationists.

It is scary to see where the world has come to. Global warming and climate change are to be blamed for sure. It’s not new news but an established fact, known to us as a warning for years. A decade or so ago, when the concern over climate change began to gain attention, its impact was largely theoretical and imagined. The impact was too slow to observe and witness. I suppose that was nature’s mistake, as mankind became lax about it. Now, the evidence of its fatal impact is more apparent than ever. After all, having a fire in your backyard threatening to burn down your home has the very real effect of jolting you to your senses, making it clear that the threat is real and it is here—in your backyard.

So what now? LA is a big, wealthy city in a big, wealthy state of a big, wealthy country. Money will flow in, and rebuilding will not be a problem. It’s not yet summer, and we have already had a major fire. How much more destruction are we going to witness later in the year when the sun blazes with all its might and it’s officially the forest fire season? Last year, when almost every province in Canada was reporting a forest fire, even in the Arctic, the forest fires became the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the USA, China, and India. Will the forest fires sneak into the top three this year? And which city will burn down next? I would be horrified but not surprised if I see smoke billowing from my balcony. 

I hope we have experienced the worst of the fires already and that the future brings control and an end to them. Furthermore, I hope some influential individuals with the authority to take action actually do something instead of merely criticizing climate change advocates for promoting a woke agenda.