Los Angeles Fires Demonstrate Rising Threat Of Wildfires In Urban Areas
As cities expand further into natural areas, a unique set of firefighting and disaster preparedness challenges has emerged, Texas A&M experts say.
by Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
January 14, 2025
As the deadly wildfires that began last week in Southern California continue to threaten communities in and around Los Angeles, startling images of entire neighborhoods in ruins are highlighting the growing danger that these fires pose to urban and residential areas.
Firefighters are struggling to contain the powerful blazes, which have burned through more than 60 square miles of land, torching 12,000 structures and killing at least 24 people. Some analysts predict that the fires will ultimately be the costliest in U.S. history, with one preliminary estimate placing the current damage and economic loss somewhere between $135 billion and $150 billion.
To understand the unprecedented devastation and the unique challenge of mitigating wildfires in urban areas, Texas A&M Today spoke with two experts from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning in the Texas A&M University College of Architecture. Dr. Siyu Yu and Dr. Matthew Malecha study community resilience to fires and other natural hazards, with an emphasis on land use and emergency planning. Both serve as faculty fellows with the college’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center.