The Summary The Los Angeles-area fires are a worst-case scenario caused by powerful winds that struck after months without rain. For the Los Angeles area, the recent string of wildfires represents a worst-case scenario — unusually powerful and prolonged Santa Ana winds struck after months without significant rain. But the steep consequences of the blazes are not a surprise, according to an NBC News review of after-action reports following previous fires, wildfire risk maps, public meetings about wildfire risk and interviews with fire experts. The fires have forced nearly 180,000 people to evacuate, cut power to nearly half a million customers and burned thousands of homes. “It was not if, it was when” said Joe Scott, the chief fire scientist at Pyrologix, a wildfire risk consultancy that worked on the federal analysis.

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Persons: ”, Char Miller, ” Miller, Joe Scott, Woolsey, lauding, Anthony Marrone, Ethan Swope, ” Marrone, Zillow, Robert Gray, “ There’s, ” Gray, Gray, Anale Burlew, Apu Gomes, Wade Crowfoot, Anas, Robert Fovell, Miller, “, it’s, Daniel Swain, Swain, ” Swain Organizations: NBC, Pomona College, City, Hollywood, Los Angeles Fire Department, Angeles County Fire, Firefighters, California, Task Force, Pacific, Farm, FAIR, California Department of Forestry, Fire Protection, Franklin, Getty, University of Albany, UCLA Locations: Los Angeles, Santa, Los Angeles County, United States, Palisades, Altadena, Santa Monica, Malibu, Ventura, Angeles, . County, L.A . County, Pacific, California, Pacific Palisades, Southern California, Sunset, Gabriel, Pasadena, Santa Ana