It has been a horrific start to 2025 for those living in Los Angeles, its surrounding neighborhoods, and Southern California. Wildfires have been blazing one the most popular locations in the world with winds blowing at speeds of 50-70 mph, wreaking havoc.
From the F1 world, Charles Leclerc has spared a thought after taking a look at what had been happening in Los Angeles. The Monegasque driver, who has taken vacations in the city in the past, took to Instagram to express grief and wish his best to those living in the affected areas. He wrote,
“Heartbreaking scenes to see what’s happening in one of my favorite cities. Sending strength and love to everyone in Los Angeles. Please stay safe.”
The wildfires have caused huge damage to property, with several businesses and homes destroyed. At the time of writing, it has been reported that five people have lost their lives, with more than 130k expected to be displaced. Fires in Santa Monica and Malibu, have burnt several high-profile properties belonging to some of the wealthiest in California.
The estimated amount of damages is between $52-57 billion — surpassing the devastating fires in 2018 that cost the state $30 billion.
Fires have been intensified by the Santa Ana winds, which have reached speeds exceeding 70 mph. So, they have gone out of human control—likely due to climate change—making it difficult for firefighters to deal with. In fact, one firefighter had predicted something ominous in a conversation with Joe Rogan a few months ago.
Joe Rogan had foreshadowed the LA fires
In a previous episode of his popular podcast, Rogan spoke about what the firefighter told him about the possibility of embers setting Los Angeles ablaze. He recalled, “One day, it’s going to be the right wind, and fire is going to start in the right place, and it’s going to burn through LA, all the way to the ocean. And there’s not a f**king thing we can do about it.”
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The firefighter mentioned that people in California have been fortunate that the winds do not often amplify fires enough to destroy cities. However, when a massive fire burns across thousands of acres and is driven by 40 mph winds, flying embers can land on houses and bushes, inevitably setting entire cities or regions ablaze.
As Rogan pointed out, once fires reach that scale, there is little humans can do to stop them. It’s been an unfathomably tough few days for those in Los Angeles, and we can only hope things get better in the coming days.
