Kaylah Walton
A recently highlighted segment from Joe Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, has gained attention due to its foreboding relevance to the severe wildfires currently impacting Southern California. This segment, initially aired in July, features Rogan sharing a firefighter’s serious warning regarding the area’s susceptibility to uncontrollable fires.
During his conversation with comedian Sam Morril, Rogan recounted the firefighter’s alarming prediction: “One day, it’s going to be the right wind and fire is going to start in the right place and it’s going to burn through LA all the way to the ocean and there’s not a f****** thing we can do about it.“
In the discussion, Rogan, who wore a Los Angeles Fire Department shirt, explained how the firefighter described the potential for such fires to spiral out of control. “These fires are so massive, you’re talking about thousands of acres blazing simultaneously with 40mph winds,” he noted.
“Once it starts, it’s so widespread that they can’t do anything.” He shared that his choice to leave Los Angeles in 2020, after living there for 25 years, was significantly impacted by the ongoing threat of wildfires. “I was evacuated three times from my house due to fires,” he recounted. “In the last one, two homes in front of mine were completely destroyed.”
These warnings have become increasingly relevant as Southern California grapples with its most devastating wildfires ever. The Palisades Fire, raging between Santa Monica and Malibu, and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena have burned over 11,300 hectares—an area greater than that of Disney World.
Historic wildfires devastate LA
Numerous neighborhoods have turned to ash, with confirmed fatalities now at six and thousands of homes and businesses lost. Approximately 180,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate, with another 200,000 facing evacuation alerts.
The conditions remain perilous as firefighting crews contend with fierce winds and drought conditions exacerbating the fires. Don Fregulia, operations section chief with California Interagency Management Team 5, noted that these weather conditions are likely to impede containment efforts well into next week.
Visuals from the fires depict an alarming level of devastation. The Palisades Fire was seen consuming homes amidst strong winds in Pacific Palisades, while the Eaton Fire’s embers sparked fires in Altadena. These scenes highlight the tragic reality that Rogan and his guest discussed well before this crisis arose.
