From the heart of climate-changed wind and inferno country, apparently, it’s today’s special edition of The BradCast. [Audio link to full show follows this summary.]
As you might suspect, as we broadcast most days from Hollywood, pretty much in the center of Los Angeles, the bulk of today’s show is dedicated to fire coverage. Yesterday we reported on the high winds, gusting at times to hurricane levels, nearly 100mph, and the National Weather Service Red Flag warnings of potentially out of control fires they were likely to bring. They did. The blaze in Pacific Palisades, on the coast, actually sparked up just as we began yesterday’s program and had grown to about 300 acres by the time we signed off.
This morning, as we awoke to eerily blackened skies, which eventually gave way to a sickly orange pall by late afternoon, that fire had grown to several thousand acres. By showtime, once the winds had died down a bit and firefighters were actually able to take to the air to battle the blaze, it had grown to more than 24 square miles. More than 1,000 structures have now reportedly burned, and tens of thousands are under evacuation orders in that fire and three other major ones that have broken out across L.A. County — near Pasadena to the east of us and Sylmar to the North — in the bargain. The fire in Palisades, is now, officially, the most destructive fire in L.A. history.
We do our best to cover the latest on all of that today, as fire fighters are said to be overwhelmed and resources, such as water to battle the out-of-control infernos, has been in short supply, particularly while airborne units had been grounded.
One of those who lost their home last night in Palisades, tragically, was our friend JOHN AMATO, the longtime blogger and creator of the notorious Crooks and Liars blog. [See his last photos from his house here.] He is kind enough to join us on the show today from Santa Monica to detail his harrowing evacuation last night, along with details of all that he has lost today.
“It’s just total destruction,” says Amato. And though he hasn’t yet been able to get back to his community, a neighbor who was among the last to leave told him that “everything is just melted to the ground.”
“We’ve never seen the speed of this fire. It just spread so fast,” he tells me. “The devastation is just incredible. The wind was blowing these flaming embers everywhere. It’s like a tidal wave of fire.”
Also today, the latest on Donald Trump‘s pathetic attempt at SCOTUS to avoid even a shred of accountability for his 34 felony fraud convictions in New York, and, by way of stark contrast, a reminder of a few more of the extraordinary accomplishments of President Jimmy Carter before he is finally laid to rest on Thursday. (Did you know that, in addition to creating the Dept. of Energy, he also created the Education Dept., which Trump vows to shut down, and FEMA, which is very very important out here in Los Angeles today, including to our guest who just lost his home?)
Thanks to all those who have touched based to see how Desi and I are. We’re fine. For now. Please tune in for our special coverage. And please stay safe out there…
(Snail mail support to “Brad Friedman, 7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594 Los Angeles, CA 90028” always welcome too!)
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So horrifying. I wish Brad, Desi and all others in fire danger the best in information for your safety decisions and just pure luck. And, John, I am so sorry for your loss. Terrible.
In my area, I get to be terrified by hurricanes, sometimes all season long.
What is happening to you all, is worse: a fire hurricane. Shit!
In extreme wind conditions like what we’ve seen in SoCal lately,
wildfires are to be expected in some areas.
But have these fires gotten any “help”?
The fires include California icons such as the area near the Hollywood sign, Mt Wilson, Pacific Palisades and Malibu (both epicenters of Hollywood stars and power-peoples’ homes), etc.
What is the chance that some of these fires were started by California-hating magas, in anticipation of the maga right-wing taking total power in America?
I guess one argument against that would be:
“Oh no. The magas love America and respect other Americans so much that they would never want to hurt their fellow countrymen, just to “own” them. They may not like California, but they have no wish to see any part of America harmed, because they love this country, and care about other people.”
Was that a convincing argument in defense of magas?
Was that believeable at all?
Of course not. IT was likely 180-degrees from the truth.
The magas often say who they are, if we are listening.
After Jan 20th, many hundreds of Jan 6th rioters will be released to the country when they are pardoned.
Expect a national political crime wave to be the result.
It is just a question of how severe it will be.
In that context, perhaps these California fires are just the first hint of what is to come?
Sweet dreams!
“Natural” occurrence, or intentional?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/photos-show-iconic-los-angeles-201438730.html
DonL @3:
There are no fires “near the Hollywood sign, Mt Wilson” to my knowledge. I live nearby and have heard of none.
The closest fire would have been the one that lit up in Runyon Canyon on Wednesday night, forcing our evacuation. But it would have had to travel a mile or two before even getting close to the Hollywood sign or Mt. Wilson.