California is burning again. The Los Angeles area has endured one of its worst wildfire seasons, fueled by powerful winds and extreme drought. Beginning with the Palisades Fire on January 7, over 23,000 acres were scorched,

The death toll from the wildfires plaguing the Los Angeles area in the United States has risen to 29. The coroner’s office announced on Monday evening that one person died in hospital over the weekend as a result of the “Palisades’’ fire on the western edge of Los Angeles.

As Los Angeles recovers from its devastating wildfires, environmental engineers, urban planners and natural disaster experts are casting forward with visions of what could come next for neighborhoods that have been reduced to ash and rubble.

As Los Angeles reels from the loss of lives and homes to the Easton and Palisades fires, scientists are asking why the events of this January have been so catastrophic.

Extreme conditions helped fuel the fast-moving fires that destroyed thousands of homes. Scientists are working to figure out how climate change played a role in the disaster.