Painting Los Angeles pink: The fire retardant leaving its mark

10:32 am on 14 January 2025

RNZ Online

A plane drops flame retardant on a scorched hillside at the Poppy Fire on July 10, 2024 in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County, California where temperatures reached over 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). A record-breaking heat wave continued to grip the western United States on July 9, smashing records and endangering lives with little relief in sight.
Approximately 162 million people -- nearly one-half of the US population -- were living in areas under active heat warnings, according to the National Weather Service. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)

Fire retardant, like that seen here earlier in the year, was dropped on the recent fires. Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP

Red flame retardant is seen on a car in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 11, 2025, as the Palisades Fire continues to burn. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the Los Angeles fires, spread toward previously untouched neighborhoods January 11, forcing new evacuations and dimming hopes that the disaster was coming under control. Across the city, at least 11 people have died as multiple fires have ripped through residential areas since January 7, razing thousands of homes in destruction that US President Joe Biden likened to a "war scene." (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)

Red flame retardant is seen on a car in the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood of Los Angeles, on 11 January. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the Los Angeles fires, spread toward previously untouched neighbourhoods on 11 January, forcing new evacuations and dimming hopes that the disaster was coming under control. Photo: AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP

Foscheck fire retardant covers the road and nearby properties after being dropped by aircraft to slow the wildfire spread in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, on 11 January. Photo: Jason Ryan/NurPhoto/AFP

Red flame retardant is seen on the mailbox of a home in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 11, 2025, as the Palisades Fire continues to burn. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the Los Angeles fires, spread toward previously untouched neighborhoods January 11, forcing new evacuations and dimming hopes that the disaster was coming under control. Across the city, at least 16 people have died as multiple fires have ripped through residential areas since January 7, razing thousands of homes in destruction that US President Joe Biden likened to a "war scene." (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)

Red flame retardant is seen on the mailbox of a home in the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California, on 11 January, as the Palisades Fire continued to burn. Photo: AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP

Red flame retardant coats plants and a sidewalk as the Palisades fire grows near the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 11, 2025. The Palisades Fire, the largest of the Los Angeles fires, spread toward previously untouched neighborhoods January 11, forcing new evacuations and dimming hopes that the disaster was coming under control. Across the city, at least 11 people have died as multiple fires have ripped through residential areas since January 7, razing thousands of homes in destruction that US President Joe Biden likened to a "war scene." (Photo by David Swanson / AFP)

Red flame retardant coats plants and a sidewalk as the Palisades fire grows near the Mandeville Canyon neighbourhood of Los Angeles, on 11 January. Photo: David Swanson/AFP

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