Biden cancels last official trip abroad – DW – 01/09/2025

Wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area have triggered wind and dust warnings for millions of people living across large parts of Southern California, blanketing the sky with thick clouds of smoke and ash.

According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, advisories were issued for 17 million people.

Air quality was most affected in areas near the fires, for example in East Los Angeles the index measured 173 – 123 points above what is considered the maximum level for good air quality.

Medical experts have often warned about the harmful effects of wildfire smoke and its particulate matter on human health.

Smoke can cause a variety of respiratory and cardiovascular problems, while toxic chemicals released from burning structures can also contribute to disease and health problems.

The first days of 2025 saw fires raging around Los Angeles, and in July last year, the Canadian city of Jasper in the Alberta province was devastated. The fire there destroyed at least a third of the city’s buildings and also damaged part of neighboring Jasper National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

And as we continue to warm the planet by burning fossil fuels, those fires are getting worse, threatening more people and wildlife.

Some of the key areas through which fire management is attempting to adapt to a new climate reality include strategic burning, adaptive planting, and drone technology.

Read DW’s report on how these methods could help protect the planet’s forests.

Several entertainment celebrities are among the thousands of people who have lost their homes so far in the Los Angeles wildfires.

Famous names such as Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Cary Elwes, Ricki Lake and Diane Warren have confirmed that their homes have been destroyed by the blaze in some of California’s most prestigious areas.

Other stars such as Mark Hamill, James Woods and Mandy Moore have said they have had to flee their homes.

Major annual events on the Hollywood agenda have been rescheduled, including the Critics’ Choice Awards from January 12
26 January. The Academy has offered a two-day extension to the Oscar nomination voting window “to give members more time to cast their ballots” as thousands of people were evacuated amid the fires.

A new fire that broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday also threatens several tourist sites, including the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl.

The White House says outgoing US President Joe Biden will not take the final foreign trip of his presidency so he can “focus on directing the full federal response” to wildfires.

In a brief statement, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden had traveled to Los Angeles on Wednesday to meet with police, firefighters and emergency personnel.

Jean-Pierre said, after that trip, he decided to cancel an upcoming trip to Italy.

Biden had planned to hold another meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday. During the visit he also planned to meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Firefighters are struggling to control at least five massive wildfires in the Los Angeles area of ​​California, America’s most populous state, with five people reported dead so far.

The fire spread from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena. A fire, called the Sunset Fire, has been burning near Hollywood’s world-famous film center since Wednesday.

Local fire officials say evacuation orders have been issued for about 130,000 people and about 108 square kilometers (42 square miles) of area has burned.

This fire has been described as the deadliest fire in the history of Los Angeles.

Film stars and celebrities are among those who lost their homes in the flames.

Climate experts say several factors, including near-hurricane-force winds and drought, have combined to create favorable conditions for the fires.

He says such incidents are becoming common as the Earth’s atmosphere is warming due to human fossil-fuel use.