When Edward Kelly, the president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), toured the wildfire destruction zones in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles last week, he saw thousands of homes burned to the ground. “The level of devastation is apocalyptic,” he said.
Propelled by hurricane-force winds, the flames that tore through Los Angeles earlier this month left little more than ashes in their wake, destroying more than 12,000 structures and killing at least 25 people.