The fires themselves are pretty much out.

There's a few smoldering remains, but the trouble has just begun.

It's going to be very hard to get everything rebuilt in Los Angeles.

Edward Ring is Director of Water and Energy Policy for the California Policy Center.

They don't know yet how many people died.

They don't know exactly how many homes are destroyed, but it's well over 10,000 homes that have been just burnt to the ground.

You can't possibly convey this with enough respect to really fulfill just how big this tragedy was for people who have gone through it.

In this episode, we do a deep dive into the California fires.

How did they originate? Could they have been prevented?

What is the scope of the damage?

And in the aftermath, what should be done?

I'm an environmentalist, but I think that environmentalism itself has gotten out of balance.

It's going too far.

This is American Thought Leaders, and I'm Yanya Kellick.

Edward Ring, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders.

Yeah, thank you for having me.

We're pretty much in the aftermath of these giant fires in the L.A. area. And tell me if that's actually correct.

But what is the big challenge right now facing the region? Well, the fires themselves are, you know,

pretty much out. There's a few smoldering remains, but, you know, the trouble has just begun.

I mean, this is the acute catastrophe that we've seen. It's a tragedy. I can't really express

in words how bad it must be for the people that have gone through it. But it's going to be very

hard to get everything rebuilt in Los Angeles. And I think that's just begun.

...