Resident sparks debate with questions over uncanny conditions of local wildfire outbreaks: 'It seems surprising'

The devastating wildfires that raged through California in January left many seeking answers. While investigations are ongoing about the cause of multiple fires within a short window of time in different areas of Los Angeles and San Diego, some are drawing their own conclusions.

On Reddit, one person shared their thoughts with the r/Skeptic community, noting that it was "strange" that at least three major burning events happened at once.

"Given that January is not a common time for wildfires, it seems surprising for three to occur all on the same day," they said. "I was morbidly curious about the timeline of the fires, which I haven't been able to find and have only read about the conditions. If the odds are historically low, it makes me wonder if three starting on the same day was the result of willful human actions."

CNN cited the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection when sharing that 95% of fires in the state are started by humans, either by intentional or accidental actions. The original poster's speculation is likely accurate given that statistic, but that's not to say it was done by one person or a group of people with the intention of harm.

Wildfires have begun after gender reveal celebrations have gone wrong, for example, while sparks from machinery, irresponsibly discarded cigarettes, or fireworks are also possible causes.

Another factor is accidents indirectly related to human activity. For instance, in January, California experienced extremely strong Santa Ana winds, with gusts of up to 102 miles per hour reported. This could have led to power lines being downed. While not directly caused by human action, fires from sparking electrical infrastructure are still related to human interference since power lines aren't naturally occurring.

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California is no stranger to wildfires. In 2024, Cal Fire recorded 8,024 of them, burning over 1 million acres. However, the conditions for this phenomenon are becoming increasingly favorable because of rising global temperatures made worse by human-caused pollution.

The Golden State had experienced back-to-back wet winters, according to Climate.gov, leading to more vegetation growth. This was followed by intense drought, drying vegetation out and effectively making it kindling for fire. Coupled with those strong winds, the conditions were perfect for wildfires to begin and spread rapidly.

While the original poster suggested that January is not a common time for wildfires, that doesn't mean they can't happen in the right circumstances. With the way the climate is shifting, it's possible more fires could begin in the earlier months of the year.

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Investigations are ongoing, but it's sadly not so unusual that such severe burning events could occur — even in January — given the factors at play, as some Redditors observed.

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"It's largely a coincidence fueled by a perfect storm of factors: unusually strong winds, bone-dry conditions, and an environment primed for rapid fire spread," one said. "When nature creates the ideal conditions, a single spark — or even several — can quickly escalate into multiple infernos."

"The wind was insane," added another. "We were lucky that it wasn't worse. You could start a fire by rubbing sticks together. It hasn't rained in a year. Every plant is drying."