Firefighters confronting the Los Angeles wildfires face hurdles to many tactics in their arsenal as they try to tame some 27,000 burning acres. Satellite image @2025 Maxar TechnologiesHis conclusion: Until the winds fanning the blazes die down, "putting out a fire like this is essentially impossible." This can be really effective — but with the strong winds in LA, it risks making things even worse, Doerr said. "In reality, most fires of such extremity tend to be stopped by a change in weather," he added. Until then, Doerr said, "putting out a fire like this is essentially impossible."

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Persons: Stefan Doerr, Anthony Marrone, Doerr, Brian van der, Wayne Coulson, Janisse Quiñones, Quiñones, Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Eric Thayer Organizations: Swansea University, Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Times, Getty, Global News, Pacific Palisades, Guardian, Paris, National Weather Service Locations: LA, California, Pacific Palisades, Santa, Palisades