Haunting 2023 warning of apocalyptic fires that would destroy LA

Haunting 2023 warning of apocalyptic fires that would destroy LA

 

Daily Mail

Story by James Reinl

15/01/2025

 

• READ MORE: Eerie photo shows 'exact spot' where Pacific Palisades fire started

For Los Angeles County fire expert Drew Smith, the writing was on the wall.

In October 2023, he predicted a 'nightmare scenario' of Santa Ana winds fanning fast-spreading flames across parched vegetation and devouring whole communities in their wake.

 

로스앤젤레스 카운티 소방 전문가인 드류 스미스(Drew Smith)는 이 글귀를 벽에 새겨 넣었다.

2023년 10월, 그는 산타아나 바람이 메마른 초목 위로 빠르게 번지는 화염을 부채질하고 그 여파로 지역 사회 전체를 집어삼키는 '악몽 시나리오'를 예측했습니다.

 

Smith's unheeded warnings came to pass in spectacular fashion last week, when wildfires engulfed the city, killing at least 24 people, scorching 12,000 structures and forcing tens of thousands from their homes.

The accuracy of his predications casts further doubt on the California officials tasked with protecting the city, who have been accused of failing to manage the land and have enough crews and water ready to douse blazes. 

스미스의 무시된 경고는 지난 주 산불이 도시를 집어삼키면서 최소 24명이 사망하고 12,000채의 건물이 불에 탔으며 수만 명이 집에서 쫓겨났을 때 극적인 방식으로 이루어졌다.

그의 예측의 정확성은 도시를 보호하는 임무를 맡은 캘리포니아 공무원들에게 더 많은 의문을 던지고 있으며, 그들은 땅을 관리하지 못하고 불을 끌 충분한 인력과 물을 준비하지 않았다는 비난을 받고 있습니다.

 

Back in 2023, Smith, said his fear of such a fast-spreading wildfire 'keeps me up at night.'

'That worst-case scenario fire with our residents at home with limited options. It's terrifying,' he told the website LAist.

He was referring to Topanga Canyon — an area where homes have been devastated by the Palisades Fire, the largest of the blazes that have devoured an area the size of Washington DC this month.

2023년으로 돌아가서, 스미스는 이렇게 빠르게 번지는 산불에 대한 두려움이 '나를 밤잠 못 이루게 한다'고 말했다.

"최악의 시나리오는 주민들이 선택의 여지가 없는 집에서 화재가 발생하는 것입니다. 끔찍하다'고 그는 웹사이트 LAist에 말했다.

그는 토팡가 캐니언(Topanga Canyon)을 언급하고 있었다 — 그곳은 이번 달에 워싱턴 DC 크기의 지역을 집어삼킨 가장 큰 불길인 팰리세이즈 화재(Palisades Fire)에 의해 집들이 황폐화된 지역이다.

 

Smith, a fire behavior analyst, warned that all the elements were in place for a savage inferno.

He pointed out dense chaparral that hadn't burned in decades — plenty of fuel ready to go up in smoke.

LA fire expert Drew Smith made scarily accurate predictions about the fires in October 2023 

LA 화재 전문가 드류 스미스(Drew Smith)는 2023년 10월 화재에 대해 무서울 정도로 정확한 예측을 했다

Smith warned of a fast-moving blaze fanned by Santa Ana winds that would engulf homes and claim dozens of lives

스미스는 산타아나의 바람을 타고 빠르게 번지는 불길이 집을 집어삼키고 수십 명의 목숨을 앗아갈 것이라고 경고했다

 

A spark from a power line or a passing car would ignite some of the dry brush that covers the area, he predicted.

That, he continued, would be fanned by the blustery Santa Ana winds from the east.

As the fire spread, he warned that residents could struggle to flee in time through the narrow roads that snake along the canyons.

 

The flames would move so fast, they would pass from the San Fernando Valley to the Pacific Ocean in a few hours, he warned.

Back then, he said he would 'not be surprised' if dozens of residents lost their lives in a fast-moving fire.

'We are training for that,' he added.

It could be as bad as the 2018 Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise and claimed some 85 lives, or the fast-moving Woolsey Fire that same year, which traversed 17 miles from LA to Malibu in less than 24 hours, he predicted.

'Don't get lured into a false sense of security because we've had a very passive fire season,' Smith said ominously.

'Under the right conditions, we have a high potential for a devastating fire in the Santa Monica Mountains that hasn't seen fire frequency in 25 years.'

In the wake of this month's calamity, Smith's warnings from 14 months ago look like a terrifying prophecy.

 Firefighters tackling the Palisades Fire said they couldn't get enough water out of hydrants to douse burning homes  

Smiths predictions cast doubt on whether California Governor Gavin Newsom and other officials did enough to protect LA 

Newsom is accused of neglecting the kinds of land management clearing that stops blazes from happening in the first place 

Entire LA neighborhoods have been reduced to into smoldering ash and piles of rubble, and leaving behind an apocalyptic hellscape.

As of Monday, more than 92,000 LA County residents were under evacuation orders — down from more than 150,000 — while a further 89,000 faced evacuation warnings.

 

The Palisades Fire, where Smith made his scary prediction, had wiped out upscale communities, burned 23,713 acres and was 14 percent contained.

The Eaton Fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of the city consumed another 14,117 acres and was 33 percent contained, Cal Fire said.

A third fire, the Hurst, spanning 799 acres was 95 percent contained, while three other fires in the county have been fully brought under control in recent days.

California Gov Gavin Newsom has said the blazes could rank as the most devastating natural disaster in US history.

It's already the costliest wildfire in terms of insured losses.

But the scale of the tragedy — and the accuracy of Smith's predictions — raise doubts about whether Newsom and other officials were cognizant of the impending risks.

Firefighters tackling the Palisades Fire said the lack of water pressure in fire hydrants left them unable to douse burning homes.

The nearby Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117-million-gallon water resource, was under renovation and empty when fires tore through the area.

 

California officials have been accused of failing to preempt wildfires with controlled burns and felling 

Angry locals sued the LA Department of Water and Power on Monday, saying it failed to manage the water supplies needed to fight fires, including those in the reservoir.

President-elect Donald Trump slammed Newsom and other California officials for 'incompetent' efforts to tackle the blazes, saying they 'have no idea how to put them out.'

Top Republicans in the US Congress are considering imposing conditions on disaster aid, accusing the state's Democratic leadership of mismanaging water resources and forests.

 

Newsom, widely seen as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, has faced criticism for his land management policies, with seasonal blazes ravaging the Golden State throughout his time in office.

Investigations by California-based media outlets have repeatedly bashed him for failing to deliver on his promises upon taking office in 2019 of revamping the state's wildfire strategy.

He's been accused of overstating his accomplishments and pulling much-needed funding from fire safety and land management even as the amount of burnable fuel was piling up to dangerous levels.

Newsom's office and Smith did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's requests for comment.

 

Read more