The massive wildfires that have devastated major parts of Los Angeles County are reigniting concerns over the rising number of homeless encampment fires neighborhoods have been grappling with. If anything, the last week has shown that it doesn’t take much for a small fire to get out of control when the combination of high winds and dry conditions are involved.
An investigation by a local NBC News affiliate found that there were a whopping 13,909 homeless fires in 2023, which was nearly double the number of such fires in 2020. According to the LA Fire Department, more than half (54%) of fires in 2023 were started by the homeless.
In some cases, the fires are entirely accidental as individuals try to keep warm while living on the streets. In other cases, severe mental illness plays a role. Regardless of why these blazes occur, it’s been a growing problem in a city that has been cutting the fire department’s budget. It’s also ridiculously cruel inhumane to allow tens of thousands of people to suffer like this on streets.
The gravity of this issue is further compounded by destructive infernos Angelenos have witnessed over the last week. While the cause the multiple fires in LA are still under investigation the death toll continues to rise. The latest reports indicate that at least 25 people have been killed and more than 12,000 homes, businesses, schools and other structures have been destroyed.
I spoke to Neil Gong, who’s the author of “Sons, Daughters & Sidewalk Psychotics: Mental Illness and Homelessness in Los Angeles” on the day before lives were upended by the blazes in LA. As an assistant professor of sociology at UC San Diego, Gong dives deep into the issue of mental illness among the homeless population and whether compulsory in-patient mental health care is the right solution for some. His book also offers an incredible comparative analysis between treatment for the poor and the affluent.
Are there public policy solutions that ensure the most vulnerable are getting the best possible treatment in the most humane way? Gong and I explore that question and more in today’s Unaligned conversation.
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