LA Engulfed by Apocalyptic Fires: Climate Activists Blame Big Oil!

As vast wildfires continued to devastate Los Angeles on Thursday, with entire communities being reduced to ashes, environmental activists pointed fingers at the large, highly profitable oil and gas corporations. These companies have been accused of spending decades exacerbating the climate conditions that enabled the catastrophic events in Southern California.

“Los Angeles is aflame. Whole neighborhoods have vanished. Our readiness for the climate conditions that the greed of the fossil fuel industry has fostered is disastrously inadequate,” stated the youth-led Sunrise Movement on social media while multiple largely uncontrolled fires caused chaos, fueled by fierce winds and unusually dry weather.

“The CEOs of oil and gas companies are aware of their role in these calamities,” the organization continued. “Yet, they persist in opposing renewable energy investments, disseminating misleading information, and lobbying politicians to support $757 BILLION in fossil fuel subsidies.”

The fires in Los Angeles have rapidly consumed tens of thousands of acres, obliterated thousands of homes, and claimed at least five lives—a number expected to increase.

“This is like the end of the world,” commented one local resident, a feeling reiterated by a CNN reporter in Los Angeles.

“Everyone is using the word ‘apocalyptic,'” remarked CNN‘s Leigh Waldman. “But even that doesn’t fully capture it.”

The Palisades fire, the most severe of five blazes tearing through Los Angeles County, is now recognized as the most destructive in the history of LA.

Preliminary estimates suggest that the economic toll of the Los Angeles fires may surpass $50 billion.

Warren Gunnels, staff director for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), shared footage of the blazing infernos and destruction across Los Angeles on social media Thursday, stating: “They claim the Green New Deal is costly. Compared to what?”

Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, expressed on Wednesday: “These fires have claimed lives and demolished homes, jobs, and landscapes.”

“We keep those impacted by this disaster in our thoughts and are grateful to the first responders courageously combating the fires. It’s crucial that both federal and state authorities continue to back these communities with all necessary resources and support for recovery and healing,” Jealous added. “Fire season has arrived, just a week into the new year. This isn’t ordinary.”

“Repeatedly, we see how climate change, driven by fossil fuels, intensifies weather extremes, making wildfires more frequent and more devastating,” he elaborated. “We cannot sit idle. We cannot let false information prevail about the measures required to address this escalating crisis. It’s imperative that leaders act to fund and promote the fortification of homes to make our communities more resilient.”

Observers watching smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire on January 7, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles fires occur as states and local governments across the United States are suing oil and gas companies for climate-related damages as extreme weather events become more common and severe on a warming planet.

According to the Center for Climate Integrity, over one in four Americans now reside in a community that is taking legal action against Big Oil, “highlighting a growing movement to hold the oil and gas industry responsible for its long history of climate deception and resulting damages.”

Aaron Regunberg, an attorney involved in building a legal case against the fossil fuel industry, stated Wednesday that the Los Angeles crisis “didn’t just happen.”

“A recent study demonstrated that nearly all the increase in area affected by wildfires in California over the last fifty years can be attributed to human-induced climate change,” Regunberg, a senior policy counselor at Public Citizen’s Climate Program, shared online. “This catastrophe is a direct outcome of Big Oil’s actions.”

Jamie Henn, director of Fossil Free Media, echoed these sentiments, asserting that “the fires in Los Angeles are not just a tragedy, they’re a crime.”

“This is the type of disaster that Exxon’s own scientists foresaw more than 50 years ago, yet they spent billions to keep us dependent on fossil fuels,” Henn said. “It’s time to hold polluters accountable.”