The causes of Los Angeles' wildfires are complex and may have equally difficult and complicated solutions

January 2025 saw devastating wildfires across Los Angeles County with 28 deaths, thousands of structures destroyed, and damages estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. Thomas Smith looks at California’s changing history of fire regimes, which in combination with climate change, extreme fire weather, and a multitude of potential fire ignition sources, have led to greater and greater fire risk. Just as the reasons behind LA’s wildfires are complex, he writes, so are the solutions, which will require collaboration on multiple fronts between policymakers, communities, and scientists.