The hot, dry and windy conditions that preceded the Southern California fires were about 35% more likely because of climate change, according to a new report.

A quick scientific study finds that human-caused climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the hot, dry and windy conditions that fanned the flames of the recent devastating Southern California wildfires.

As devastating wildfires fanned by powerful winds ravaged Los Angeles in January 2025, a video of a street shrouded in smoke was shared in social media posts with a false claim that it was filmed in the United States' second-biggest city.

Climate change was a major factor behind the hot, dry weather that gave rise to the devastating LA fires, a scientific study has confirmed. It made those weather conditions about 35% more likely, according to World Weather Attribution - globally recognised for their studies linking extreme weather to climate change.

Climate change helped to set the stage for the devastating Los Angeles fires this month, a new study by 32 researchers shows. The Palisades and Eaton wildfires broke out in early January and soon killed at least 28 people,

An international panel of scientists says with "high confidence" that climate change is worsening Southern California's fire threat.