Since the LA fires have started, there have been many ideas and comments on social media about how the fires started and what caused them. Some say a dropped match or cigarette might have started the blaze. Others believe the fire may have been started on purpose. Misinformation on social media has allowed fake news about the fire to spread.
Stories about firefighters responding too slowly, allowing more houses to burn or fake AI images of the Hollywood sign on fire makes the real cause hard to know. The growing popularity of the fires as a topic online makes more people want to come up with fake stories to get likes. But while fake stories spread online, the real cause of the fire is becoming more clear. Experts say the true cause is a mix of things like really dry weather, super strong winds, and stuff people do that can accidentally start fires. For some reason, not enough people are talking about climate change and how that makes fires more likely. Climate change is like when the Earth gets hotter because of too much pollution from cars, factories, and other stuff people do. When there’s less rain and more heat, trees and grass turn crispy, and crispy stuff catches fire really fast.
In California, cities like L.A. have been getting drier and the winds make it hard to put the fires out. With climate change, fire seasons are lasting longer, burning hotter and starting more big fires. In L.A. lot of rich and famous people have lost their houses but we need to remember that not everyone will be able to rebuild their home. Some people are going to be homeless because they don’t have the money to start over. These fires didn’t just burn trees and buildings, they destroyed people’s lives. Families lost everything and that is why it’s so important to take climate change seriously. If we don’t, fires like these will keep happening, and more people will be left homeless. We need to work together to protect our planet by reducing pollution, using clean energy, and making smarter choices.— Emmanuel Plascencia and Dima Ali