If you are betting on the California wildfires, I don’t know what to tell you. Go outside (if it’s safe). Do some reflecting. Call a gambling-addiction hotline, probably. Though I suppose the impulse to wager on destruction isn’t all bettors’ fault — gambling companies have people right where they want them, placing wagers on things most of us never would have imagined just a few years ago. We’re days into the new year, and it already feels like the gambling boom has gone too far. In case you missed it, the prediction market Polymarket is letting people place bets on aspects of the fires that have ravaged the Los Angeles area. The platform set various markets for questions like how long it would take the first fire to be contained
Tag Archives: CaliforniaWildfires
14
Jan
Jan
A flurry of separate lawsuits were filed Monday against Southern California Edison, a utility company in California, by homeowners and renters who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire. The four lawsuits each allege the company failed to de-energize all of its electrical equipment despite red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service. “The property damage and economic losses caused by the Eaton Fire is the result of the ongoing custom and practice of Defendant of consciously disregarding the safety of the public and not following statutes, regulations, standards, and rules regarding the safe operation, use and maintenance of their overhead electric facilities,” said a complaint filed by Evangeline Iglesias, who said she worked a decadeslong career with FedEx in order to buy a single-family home that was destroyed
13
Jan
Jan
Watch: ‘Homes razed to the ground’ on Malibu iconic coastal road Weather forecasters in California are warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week, as fire crews on the ground race to make progress controlling three wildfires. Officials warned that after a weekend of relatively calm winds, the notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 60mph (96km/h). Ahead of the wind’s uptick, some progress has been made in stopping the spread of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning on opposite ends of the city. Local firefighters are being assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, who continue to arrive.
12
Jan
Jan
As deadly wildfires burn through Southern California, President-elect Donald Trump has spent the week attacking Democratic officials and continuing a pattern of spreading misinformation about natural disasters. “I think that Gavin is largely incompetent, and I think the mayor is largely incompetent, and probably both of them are just stone-cold incompetent,” Trump said on Thursday night while hosting Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Since the fires broke out, Trump has pointed fingers at Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden, spreading false claims about California’s water policy and federal assistance. For example, Trump blamed Biden as he falsely claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had “no money” to help California despite Congress recently passing a disaster relief supplemental totaling $29 billion. The president-elect also pushed exaggerated claims as
27
Jul
Jul
Thousands of firefighters battled a wildfire in northern California on Saturday that rapidly expanded, burning an area roughly the size of Los Angeles. This is one of several blazes ravaging the western United States and Canada amid dry, hot, and windy conditions. Cooler temperatures forecasted for the region could help slow the Park Fire, the […]