The January 2025 fires in Los Angeles (LA), were one of the most expensive natural hazards in history.
These fires occurred in the middle of winter, outside the regular fire season and were driven by extreme conditions, particularly winds, that drove fires into the suburbs of LA.
Fire risk at the wildland-urban interface was brought into sharp focus with these fires, in particular, the Palisades and Eaton fires. These two fires burnt deeply into urban landscapes, resulting in 31 fatalities and the loss of an estimated 16,000 structures. This led many planners, government agencies and researchers around the world to query whether a similar urban conflagration could occur in their local areas.
Western Australia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) is one such organisation learning practical lessons from the LA fires. Perth’s rural-urban interface shares some similar characteristics with LA, including climate, topography and urban development. DFES partnered with Natural Hazards Research Australia and APR.Intern to create an internship position with the aim of understanding whether lessons from the January 2025 LA fires could apply to the Perth hinterland and connecting urban areas.
This internship studies the conditions that led to the urban conflagration during the LA fires and compares them with the conditions and potential risks of Perth’s rural-urban interface.
"I was fascinated by the LA fires due to the unexpected intrusion into urban environments. Although I now know this has occurred in other cases, the LA fires changed my perspective on how bushfires can put urban populations at risk," said internship recipient Anna Durkin.
The similarities and differences in rural-urban fire risk between LA and Perth will help to identify areas of Perth’s urban landscape that contribute to fire risk, and suggest ways to mitigate the increased risk, as well as support improved responses with a focus on identified vulnerable areas and populations.
Conducted using a comparative case study approach, the research also incorporates geospatial analysis and aerial photography. Together, these methods will help develop a comprehensive view of the fires, particularly the preparedness and response phases of this disaster. They will also examine the conditions of previous fires at Perth’s rural-urban interface.
"When the opportunity came up to compare the LA fires to Perth’s conditions, I was excited to apply. I saw the opportunity to use the skills I have gained throughout my PhD study, as well as my skills with GIS analysis, and it has become a great opportunity to gain experience in working with practitioners who are faced with the responsibility of responding to disasters and who are seeking insight from the research community," said Anna.
Anna is being supervised by Matt Watson, Acting Director Risk, Capability and Analysis at WA DFES.