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LA's wildfires: Your recovery guide
Your game plan for what happens next. LAist will be there every step of the way.
The Palisades and Eaton fires leveled whole neighborhoods and killed 31 people.
LAist reported 24/7 on the initial days of devastation. Our immediate job was clear: Make listeners aware of the urgency of the disaster, get them the resources they needed to stay safe, dispel rumors and misinformation that spread via social media and connect people to each other at a time of great distress.
Once the fire danger was over, LAist committed to helping fire victims navigate the complicated systems needed to recover — answering questions about insurance, renting, politics and gaps in the emergency response.
| Palisades Fire | Eaton Fire | |
| Acreage | 23,448 acres | 14,021 |
| Containment | 100% | 100% |
| Structures damaged or destroyed | 6,837 destroyed, 973 damaged | 9,414 destroyed, 1,074 damaged |
| Dead | 12 | 19 |
What's next for housing
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Residents now have until April 15 to sign up for the government's free debris removal program. The program now includes condos, not just single-family homes. -
The Zone Zero regulations on defensible space would apply to trees, potted plants, fences and other items that can catch embers and ignite. -
The new guidance contradicts earlier statements from a city official who said tenants were on the hook for post-fire decontamination inside their own units. -
With building contractors in hot demand, the state licensing board is offering tips on how to find a reputable contractor. -
California is one of the few states with building codes for wildfire protection because using fire-resistant materials helps homes survive. -
The first properties in the Palisades Fire burn area, where multi-million dollar homes once stood, are being put on the market.
What to know about insurance
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As FEMA extends deadline to sign up for free debris removal, we explain different steps of the process. -
We've got tips for navigating insurance claims in the wake of the Eaton and Palisades fires … without losing your mind.Listen 0:51 -
Most residents of middle-class Altadena could get fire insurance, but that is likely to change as residents rebuild and face price hikes. -
Here are some common mistakes or misconceptions you may run into. -
We have tips from California's insurance commissioner on how to contact the state and start the claims process, and how to keep you and your loved ones from falling for scams. -
The current fires are on track to become one of the most costly disasters in California history. That could threaten the stability of California's insurance market and make housing costs go up even more.
Do you have a question about the wildfires or fire recovery?
Check out LAist.com/FireFAQs to see if your question has already been answered. If not, submit your questions here, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.
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Key resources
If you have a question about the firestorm, let the LAist newsroom know.
Stay informed: Fact checks
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Let us help you separate fact from fiction. -
After thousands of homes were destroyed, many are looking for ways to make Los Angeles safer from wildfires.Listen 3:40 -
Air quality experts and advocates warn of the potential dangers of smoke, ash and soot.
Don't miss our award-winning podcast
The Big Burn: How To Survive the Age of Wildfires
As the world enters a new age of wildfires, science reporter Jacob Margolis dives deep into personal stories that illuminate the history of how we got here, why we keep screwing things up, and what we can do to survive and maybe even thrive while the world around us burns.
Listen
43:19
LAist Science Reporter Jacob Margolis looks at what Angelenos affected by the LA wildfires can expect as they try to rebuild their lives. In this hour, Margolis turns to experts about what to know about housing options, recouping losses, and making homes and neighborhoods more fire resistant. And he also gets insights from a 2017 Tubbs Fire wildfire survivor about the recovery and healing process after losing everything.
Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
Guests:
David Wagner, LAist Housing Reporter
Alex Robertson, lawyer with Robertson & Associates, LLP
David Shew, former Cal Fire chief, Napa County Fire Administrator
Stephanie Pincetl, Professor at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities
Melissa Geissinger, a survivor of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa. https://melissageissinger.com/
Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
Guests:
David Wagner, LAist Housing Reporter
Alex Robertson, lawyer with Robertson & Associates, LLP
David Shew, former Cal Fire chief, Napa County Fire Administrator
Stephanie Pincetl, Professor at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities
Melissa Geissinger, a survivor of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa. https://melissageissinger.com/
LA Wildfires Special Coverage with Jacob Margolis: What to expect when recovering fire losses and rebuilding
Latest news
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The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call for a Greater Alarm Structure Fire reported shortly after 1 o'clock in the morning at 1014 N Highland Ave [map], the address of LA Dogworks, a kennel self-described as "Los Angeles’ first exclusive dog Mecca," boasting a "state-of-the-art, 10,000 square foot retreat," with year-round full-time care and other amenities. It took 95 firefighters 32 minutes to extinguish the blaze, according to e-mail alerts issued by...
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The teenager arrested on suspicion of setting at least 14 fires in the Yucaipa area has been charged with setting two of them, reports the LA Times. One of the fires was in the Crafton Hills area. The total acreage burned under the fires allegedly set by 16-year-old Ricky Sean Lukacs is around 1,000....
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digitalshay/Flickr After a fire fully engulfed a home in Eagle Rock this morning, a man was found dead by Los Angeles firefighters. The one-story house fire was reported at 6:23 a.m. at 4849 Maywood Avenue in Eagle Rock, a few blocks north of Occidental College. A knockdown was called 22 minutes later. The deceased man, still unidentified, was over the 60, according to Rich Matheney of the L.A. Fire Department. No firefighters sustained injuries....
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A quarter-acre brush fire has been spotted in Griffith Park, the Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting. At 9:25 a.m., a call to dispatch alerted officials to the blaze "north of Golf Course behind Zoo."A few minutes later, an L.A. County Fire helicopter in the area confirmed the fire, estimating its size. Staff from the L.A. Zoo, which has not opened, says the fire is visible near "Mineral Wells." [Update: Another helicopter on scene...
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A brush fire that broke out yesterday afternoon in Anaheim Hills is now reported as being 15 percent contained, according to CBS2. Gusty Santa Ana winds helped bush the blaze through "60 acres of Southern California hills before firefighters reduced it Wednesday to a smoldering -- but still dangerous -- black scar." While no homes are threatened and no evacuations ordered, the Orange County Fire Authority still caution that the 50 mph winds expected...
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Remnants of the Station Fire (Photo by purplemonkeydishwasher73 via Flickr) With our Thanksgiving-week weather forecast calling for high temps and Santa Ana winds we're also finding that our air is full of "ash and dust from areas burned by recent wildfires [which] is being blown across Los Angeles County," according to CBS2. Some residents may have noticed an excess of particles in the air or built up on the exteriors of their parked cars...
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Scores of people left Disneyland disappointed tonight because the fireworks show was canceled. There was good reason for that--a brushfire has broken out in the Anaheim Hills. The wind-driven 5-acre blaze has shut down the 241 Tollroad between the 91 Freeway and Santiago Canyon Road. The fire, which is currently located on the east side of the 241, may have started on the center median. No evacuations have been ordered. A red flag warning...
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Photo by Nuno_Oliveira via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Some radio stations have already busted out the crooning sounds of Christmas tunes (KOST, I'm looking at you) and it's been a few weeks now that lots of shops have had red-and-green decorations for sale and on display, but we're not even at Thanksgiving yet. Looks like our weather won't get the chance to play catch up, either. "You won't need a crackling...
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After firefighters doused a boat burning two miles off the coast of Venice Beach, officials are scratching their heads, trying to figure out where the people aboard are. First reported around 4:45 p.m. yesterday, the 20-foot powerboat was seen aflame, sending a column of smoke into the air. A witness report suggests that two people were on the boat and a search is in progress for them. The boat, named "The Casey Lynn," is...
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A fire that broke out shortly before 11:30 a.m. has burned about 10 acres off Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano area. It's expected to grow, say fire officials, because of various downed power lines due to the tractor crash and the fires direction, which is uphill. No structures appear to be threatened, reports the OC Register....
