The fire damage in Southern California has been extensive and costly:

LA fires could be ‘costliest’ natural disaster in US history
14 January 2025
The devastating wildfires which have hit Los Angeles and other parts of southern California could be one of the costliest natural disasters in US history. They’re also wreaking havoc for already struggling home insurers.
Few places embody wealth and glamour quite like the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. The exclusivity of such neighborhoods in the city is one of the reasons why the wildfires which have struck the wider Los Angeles areacould become one of the costliest natural disasters in US history. …
It now appears that the wildfires will prove the most expensive wildfire disaster in US history in terms of insured losses…, eclipsing the costs of other recent disasters in California and Hawaii. …
The private US weather service AccuWeather, which also measures the costs of weather events, now estimates total losses at between $250 billion and $275 billion, almost double what it estimated last week. If those figures are borne out, it would make the LA wildfires the costliest natural disaster in US history. https://www.dw.com/en/la-fires-could-be-costliest-natural-disaster-in-us-history/a-71263644
January 14, 2025
One week after the fires in Los Angeles County began, the blazes remain out of control, scorching nearly 40,000 acres and leveling entire neighborhoods. On Tuesday, winds are expected to gust between 45 and 70 mph, accompanied by dry air, significantly increasing the risk of fire spread.
The National Weather Service has issued “Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warnings” for L.A. and Ventura counties through Wednesday evening, warning that “this setup is about as bad as it gets.” https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/return-strong-winds-spark-dangerous-situation-across-fire-ravaged-palisades
14 January 2025
US President-elect Donald Trump has compared the devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires to a nuclear attack, warning that the death toll may rise in the coming days. He criticized California’s leadership, particularly Governor Gavin Newsom, suggesting that mismanagement has exacerbated the crisis. …
In an interview with Newsmax, Trump predicted that rescuers would find “many more dead” and expressed bewilderment at the scale of destruction.
“I believe it’s greater damage than if they got hit by a nuclear weapon. I’ve never seen anything like it. Vast miles and miles of houses just burned to a crisp. There’s nothing standing,” Trump told the outlet.
He added that he had seen “very guarded pictures” of the destruction, claiming that the catastrophe is “far worse than you even see on television, if that’s believable.”
The president-elect went on to blame the Californian leadership for the scale of the tragedy, insisting that the crisis could have been prevented if water from Canada was allowed to flow to the state and its forests were properly maintained. Trump specifically accused California Governor Newsom of prioritizing environmental policies over human lives and called for his resignation. https://www.rt.com/news/610868-trump-la-fires-nuke/

Yes, this is horrific and will be costly. It is close to impossible for much of the area to be rebuilt like it was. And it will take years to attempt to recover.

As far as preparation goes, notice the following:

LA brain surgeon saves street from ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires
14 January 2025
A Los Angeles brain surgeon who fought for almost a week to save the houses on his street from wildfires told the BBC he spent 15 years preparing for such an event.
Malibu resident Dr Chester Griffiths, 62, ignored evacuation orders to keep flames from the Palisades fire at bay with the help of his son and neighbour, until emergency services were able to reach them.
“We had always known that a fire would come someday – but we didn’t know when,” Dr Griffiths told the BBC’s Today Programme. …
Thankfully, he and his neighbour, Clayton Colbert, had developed an action plan in the event of such a fire and had sourced hoses that they could use.
Connecting four hoses to hydrants, Dr Griffiths, his son and Mr Colbert positioned themselves on nearby roofs to spraying water on the flames, and using dirt to put out embers on the ground.
“There were burning embers coming down on us for about 12 hours,” said Dr Griffiths.
The trio was only joined by firefighters in the last few days of their week-long ordeal because resources were “so widely stretched” due to the number of blazes in the Los Angeles area.
“The (fire department) felt that all the homes weren’t able to be saved,” said Dr Griffiths.” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2l09vdlxv2o

So, while the government could not save everyone, at least one person was prepared and helped save some structures.

As far as the government goes, notice the following criticism:

A Cascade of Failures in California
January 13, 2025
Much has already been written about the L.A. wildfires and doubtless much more will be written in the future. The single most important point in the whole situation is that these fires were, if not completely preventable, at least foreseen.  A firefighter warned Joe Rogan about it at least six months ago.  What happened in Los Angeles was the result of a cascading series of events including adverse weather, bone-headed administrative decisions, and a degree of negligence that should be investigated for cause.
Phase One for this catastrophe was set years ago.  Recently, I wrote about this contributing factor.  Bowing to climate change alarmists, environmental activists, and ignoramuses in the public, California has spent decades prioritizing fire suppression over preventive measures, including the removal of brush, dead trees, and excessive forest litter that serve as fuel for wildfires. …
The L.A. wildfires started in the Topanga Canyon last Tuesday morning.  Besides dry brush and celebrities, Topanga Canyon also contains many homeless encampments.  People cooking food and drugs in steep-sloped canyons with dry brush is a recipe for disaster.  Local residents pushed for legislation to have them removed, but it’s taking time.  Meanwhile, L.A. County responds to multiple wildfires in homeless encampments every day.
If Phase One is allowing massive amounts of unburned fuel to accumulate, and Phase Two is to import vast numbers of illegals, some with malicious intent, and to allow homeless encampments in fire-prone areas, then Phase Three is to reduce the amount of available water, firefighting personnel, and equipment.
California hasn’t built a new reservoir since 1980. …
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has also played a role in this disaster.  Bass cut the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) budget by over $17 million this year and was out of the country when the fire started. …
Meanwhile, the LAFD has focused on DIE issues.  The city’s first LGBT fire chief, Kristin Crowley, is on record saying, “With the new DEI Bureau, the department will develop and drive forward key diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and initiatives to enhance the LAFD’s work environment and performance.”  When asked about numbers, Crowley said that she’s “not looking for a specific number.  It’s never enough.”
Evidently, sexual preferences and melanin content are more important to Chief Crowley than skill and experience.
Adding insult to injury, some insurance companies dropped fire coverage from their policies months ago in the face of rising payouts and stricter government regulations.  This story is still developing, as the California Insurance Commissioner just barred companies from dropping fire victims’ policies until 2026.
All that was lacking from this deadly cocktail were the Santa Ana winds.  When they arrived, there were recorded wind speeds in excess of 100 mph.
This was an inevitable perfect storm of decades-long administrative failures, bad decisions, and meteorology. https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/01/a_cascade_of_failures_in_california.html

Wildfires happen every year. But what has been happening in the Los Angeles basin has been horrific.

Back in 2017, I warned:

Parts of California still are on fire and at least 100,000 people have been evacuated … I, who also live in California, also pray that those in California will repent as worse problems are ahead if it continues to go in a moral direction away from the Bible. California set a bad standard when it became the first USA state to outlaw attempts to convert homosexuals from that ‘lifestyle’ (see California’s Brown Signs Anti-Homosexual Conversion Bill). Additionally, the State of California has made a bunch of anti-biblical anti-truth laws to promote the LGBTQ agenda (see ‘California To Have Harsher Penalty For Pronoun Violations Than For Knowingly Spreading HIV’ and Ba’al-ifornia: California’s intent to change gender definitions). Plus California has other issues where it is also setting very bad examples (such as the production of pornographic entertainment). …
Weather problems can be a warning to people that society is going in the wrong direction (Amos 4:7-12). Notice also God’s use of fire between three thousand and four thousand years ago:
24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. (Genesis 19:24-25)
And why did it happen?
7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 7)
Why mention this in the 21st century? Because God turned:
6…the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly (2 Peter 2:6)
Notice also the following:
11 “I overthrew some of you,
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.
12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” (Amos 4:11-12)
Fires should get people to consider. But will people in California, the USA, or the other Anglo-descended areas heed?
(Thiel B. California evacuates 100,000 due to wildfires; Hurricane Ophelia affects Azores and Ireland. COGwriter, October 14, 2017)
The Bible shows that God uses weather to get people’s attention. Sometimes to punish, sometimes to lead to repentance, and other times to consider that God, not humankind, is in control. The Bible itself mentions fire as a tool that God sometimes uses. … “the wrath of God” is at least partially directed towards those that practice or condone sexual immorality like homosexuality and lesbianism. The sorrows and troubles are just beginning and will get much worse. Fires should get people to consider. But will people in California, the USA, or the other Anglo-descended areas heed? (Thiel B. California Governor warns President Trump about ‘the wrath of God’ and claims destructive fires are the ‘new normal’. COGwriter, December 10, 2017)

Instead of repenting, officials in the State of California continued to promote sexual immorality and the LGBTQ+ agenda. Administratively, the State of California did NOT take the steps it should have which has made the situation much worse than it otherwise could have been. Those blinded by pushing perversion did not take the physical steps that should have been taken in preparation. Some have asserted that this will be the most expensive “natural disaster” in the history of the United States.

Most end time Christians also are not taking the steps that they should be taking either (cf. Revelation 3:14-22). Only those that do are promised protection from Jesus (Revelation 3:7-13) from the coming “hour of trial” (Revelation 3:10), which is greatest tribulation the world has ever seen (Matthew 24:21-22).

3 “A prudent man forsees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished” (Proverbs 22:3).

The sorrows and troubles are just beginning and will get much worse.

We recently uploaded the following fire-related video:

14:31
Fires and God’s Wrath
There have been massive fires raging in the State of California. The size and devastation of this fire qualifies it as a world event–and looks to be one of the costliest disasters in US history. What might the Bible have to say about fires? Is it possible that there are Biblical ramifications of fires? Especially fires of this magnitude and destruction. If there are any Biblical ramifications, what is God be trying to say? Is it possible that fires of this magnitude have any relationship to the warnings God gave ancient Israel and are having an impact on us today? If so, why would the warnings given to ancient Israel have any effect on us? What do we have to do with ancient Israel? Dr. Thiel shines the light of Bible prophecy on these questions. By quoting several scriptures that relate directly to the questions just presented, Dr. Thiel reveals the warnings God is giving humanity in these end times. Dr. Thiel shows us, through the word of God, that by obeying the words of God, we can stop the destruction. Even if we fail on a national level, we can still succeed on a personal level.

Here is a link to the video: Fires and God’s Wrath.

Worse disasters than the Palisade and other fires are coming to California.

California, and the rest of the world, needs to turn to Jesus and pray for the Kingdom of God to come (Matthew 6:10).

And most Christians need to stop being Laodicean and support the Philadelphian remnant of the Church of God.

Related Items:

Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.

Weather Blessings and Sorrows Are weather problems a warning? What should be done? What does the Bible teach about weather? What about floods, droughts, heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, and solar storms? Here is a related YouTube video Does God Use Weather? A related item in the Spanish language would be Bendiciones y maldiciones del clima.

Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.

There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety,’ Zephaniah 2 to ‘gather together,’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on fleeing to a place–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. Two sermon-length videos of related interest are available Physical Protection During the Great Tribulation and Might Petra be the Place of Safety? Here are two related items in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra? and Existe un Lugar de Seguridad.

Why is there a Philadelphian remnant of the true Christian Church of God? Did the old Worldwide Church of God essentially predict a Philadelphian remnant? Is a Philadelphian remnant needed for end-time prophecies to be fulfilled? Here is a link to a related sermon: The Philadelphia Remnant.

Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.

Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection; here is a message in Spanish: Me Está Llamando Dios Hoy? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?

Spiritual Samaritans: Old and New Who were the Samaritans? Do the represent true Christianity or something else? Here is a link to a related sermon: USA in Prophecy: Samaria.

The Bible, Christians, and the Environment How should Christians view the environment? Does the Bible give any clues? What are some of the effects of air, water, and land pollution? Is environmental pollution a factor in autism and death? Do pollutants seem to double the autism risk? What will Jesus do? Here is a link to a related sermon: Christians and the Environment (there is also a YouTube video available titled Air Pollution, Autism, and Prophecy, one titled Will Pollution lead to the End?, and one called COP 27 and Solving Climate Change).

Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.