LOS ANGELES - The recent rainfall and increased debris from the fire zones have prompted Los Angeles County public health officials to issue an advisory and close several miles of coastline from Malibu to Playa del Rey.

“Fire debris runoff and pollutants in the water and on the sand may contain toxic or carcinogenic chemicals, which can be harmful to health,” public officials said in a statement. “This includes any runoff that may flow onto or pond on the beach sand.”

California’s federal lands are hemorrhaging carbon dioxide. Wildfires are largely to blame.

The ecosystems on the American Southwest’s federal lands are hemorrhaging carbon dioxide into the atmosphere faster than any other region in the U.S., according to a recent study from the U.S. Geological Survey.

While federal land ecosystems in most states are sequestering carbon dioxide on average, California’s lost six times more than any other state during the 17-year period from 2005 to 2021 that the study analyzed.

Story Date: January 29, 2025