Much of the damage from the LA fires could have been averted
The lesson of the tragedy is that better incentives will keep people safe
The flames are still roaring, the fire crews are still battling and the people of Los Angeles have barely begun to grieve. As of January 16th, the wildfires that struck the city had killed at least 25 people and destroyed more than 12,000 buildings. Whole neighbourhoods look as if they have been firebombed. JPMorgan Chase, a bank, estimates that the bill for the damage will exceed $50bn, making these fires the costliest in American history . Even before the flames are put out, many Angelenos are wondering: could some of the pain have been averted? Alas, the answer is yes.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Lessons from the Los Angeles fires”
From the January 18th 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
Scrap the asylum system—and build something better
Rich countries need to separate asylum from labour migration
Britain is cheap, and should learn to love it
Workers and assets are on sale to the rest of the world for bargain-basement prices
America cannot dodge the consequences of rising tariffs for ever
Their economic impact has been delayed but not averted
How A-listers are shaking up the consumer-goods business
Hailey Bieber, Rihanna and Ryan Reynolds are among a new cohort of celebrity entrepreneurs
William Ruto is taking Kenya to a dangerous place
The president’s authoritarian instincts are propelling a spiral of violence
China is building an entire empire on data
It will change the online economy and the evolution of artificial intelligence