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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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Photo: A Gude via Flickr For those planning a trip to Yosemite National Park this weekend, about a five-hour drive from L.A., they don't have to worry about the Meadow Fire ruining too many of their plans, officials say. The park will remain open, save for some off-limit areas and roads due to the 7,240-acre blaze. The fire began Wednesday as a 90-acre controlled burn that got out of control. Although it grew over...
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Despite an on-air interview with KNX1070 earlier today stating the Station Fire was human-caused, officials with the Angeles National Forest said that was premature. "Confusion has arisen around the cause of the huge wildfire burning North of Downtown Los Angeles," the radio station wrote in an update. "The US Forest Service has retracted earlier statements made on KNX that the fire was 'human-caused'. Speaking on KNX, a spokesperson for the Service now says it's...
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Officials with the U.S. Forest Service are "convinced" the Station Fire was human-caused, but are not precisely sure how, reports KNX1070 on air. Basically, they know it was not caused by lightning--it could have been arson, a spark from equipment, a cigarette butt or any other possibility on a long list that investigators will narrow down. The fire began around mile marker 29 on the Angeles Crest Highway, where a car turnout is located....
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A modified Martin Mars seaplane tanker aircraft drops water trying to contain a fire threat to the observatory on Mount Wilson (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) HIgh temperatures and low humidity today began to subside, aiding firefighters in controlling the Station Fire, now 127,513 acres, nearly 200 square miles, in size. The blaze is now 22 percent contained, according to Forest Service officials. However, a change in weather could again downgrade containment and begin to threaten...
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Photo of the Haines Canyon neighborhood by write-pudding via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr This afternoon the monstrous Station Fire continued its slowed-burn of the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains, moving east towards communities to the north of Pasadena, as predicted earlier today. "The eastern flank is burning in the San Gabriel Wilderness Area near Devil's Canyon, said Nathan Judy of the U.S. Forest Service," and "in Altadena, the fire...
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The two fires burning in San Bernardino County grew slightly over night, but are keeping firefighters on edge. "The Oak Glen fire has now consumed 1,012 acres and is currently 40 percent contained and the Yucaipa fire [named the Pendleton Fire] measures 640 acres and is 45 percent contained," reported the Press-Enterprise around 9:15 a.m. Thousands of homes, mostly in Oak Glen, are threatened and one has been damaged. Officials are hoping to let...
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Imagine this if you will. A fire in a forest finds itself near a rodent, whose fur lights on fire. Still alive, the little guy flees to another part of the unburned forest only to light dry brush, thus spreading the fire. That's what firefighters are dealing with in the Oak Glen III Fire out in San Bernardino County, according to a brief in the Press-Enterprise. Rodents are trying to flee the fire and...
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Photo by musique nonstop via LAist Feautured Photos on Flickr As firefighters get an upper hand on the Station Fire in portions of Acton, officials with the L.A. Department of Water & Power feel relieved enough to announce a decreased threat to two of their 500 KV lines. If those lines were to be cut off from the city's power grid, there was the potential of blackouts due to the mixture of hot weather...
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Although authorities were hoping to keep the Oak Glen III Fire in the San Bernardino Mountains to at least 600 acres before knocking it down, last night it flared up aggressively, burning 900 acres, according to the Fire Information Line at the San Bernardino National Forest. It remains at zero percent containment. The blaze, east of Yucaipa, began yesterday around 1:45 p.m. south of Oak Glen, prompting a mandatory evacuation of some 2,000 homes...
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As the Station Fire consumes most resources and attention, here's a look at the three other major fires burning in the greater Los Angeles region. Morris Fire It began early Monday evening last week in the Angeles National Forest north of Asuza and Glendora, but has stayed out of harms way for the most part, save for a mandatory evacuation at Camp Williams. As of tonight, the conflagration is 95 percent contained after burning through 2,260 acres. Full containment is expected tomorrow by 6 p.m.
