An illegal drone collided with a plane fighting Los Angeles fires on January 9, but there have been no reports of a crash involving such an aircraft, contrary to claims on social media. Dramatic footage spread online showing a plane plunging to the ground was in fact filmed in Chile in January 2024.

As Los Angeles reels from the loss of lives and homes to the Easton and Palisades fires, scientists are asking why the events of this January have been so catastrophic.

Climate change caused by human activity increases the risk of devastating fires, like the ones in Los Angeles, California,according to the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network. The fires left at least 29 dead and thousands homeless.

Human-caused climate change worsened the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, a new study has found. Fossil fuel burning reduced rainfall, dried out vegetation, and increased the overlap between flammable drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds,