Los Angeles Fires...

[chobochobo]

It's certainly scary. (Post)-apocalyptic even. Almost like that movie 'This is the end'.

I have no idea about fire-fighting, but I don't understand how fire can't be controlled in the one of the richest places on earth. I guess there's no chance in the Australian bush then.

A couple of summers ago, we saw a spat of hill fires whilst on holiday in Sicily. Electricity and water was cut in Taormina and Catania airport was out of action for several weeks. We made it out of there by the skin of our teeth.

[RobRoy]

Really crazy. I was there enjoying the fantastic winter weather exactly a year ago.

[Skyhook]

Bush fire is no joke, especially where gum trees are involved, as they go up like candle sticks thanks to all of their eucalyptus oil. My parents lost our holiday house in, Lorne, on the surf coast of Victoria, during the 1983 Otway Ash Wednesday bushfires. We spent Christmas and 2 weeks of January there, like we always did. Our house was engulfed in February, completely gutted. luckily for us, insurance paid for a new house to be constructed and we didn't lose any irreplaceable memories like photos etc that had it been our primary residence we would have lost everything!

[Elefant&Castle]

$135 billion in damages - only 10 dead

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weath...fornia/1731547

[hullexile]

It's certainly scary. (Post)-apocalyptic even. Almost like that movie 'This is the end'.

I have no idea about fire-fighting, but I don't understand how fire can't be controlled in the one of the richest places on earth. I guess there's no chance in the Australian bush then.

A couple of summers ago, we saw a spat of hill fires whilst on holiday in Sicily. Electricity and water was cut in Taormina and Catania airport was out of action for several weeks. We made it out of there by the skin of our teeth.

Nature is stronger than money.

[hullexile]

rich people's houses being burned down
vs
Gaza

you know where my sympathies lie

Plenty of not rich people affected. How many of the dead do you think were rich? Yes Gaza is worse but one doesn't cancel the other. Sympathy should not a limited resource.

[SirNotAppearing]

I think the LA fire dept prepares to fight two brush fires simultaneously, not four or five. And with the winds the blaze was moving 100 yards per minute, burning embers floating on the thermals for miles.

[paddylast]

Do insurance companies even offer protection in California?

[SirNotAppearing]

About 1,600 policies in Pacific Palisades were dropped by State Farm in July. They likely moved to the state's insurance pool with caps of $3 million for residential properties and $20 million for commercial. Some of the homes were worth well over $3 million.

[Peaky]

$3m covers a hell of a lot of rebuild cost, especially in the US with their construction approach... pretty sure most of the value of those properties is the land and building rights.

Obviously there will be a long wait to find capacity in the construction industry to rebuild at this scale though, and plenty inflation of quotes especially with all the delays and frictions that will come from insurance and lawyers. As an example Christchurch still isn't looking very finished...