Audience-funded nonprofit news
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
-
Listen Listen
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
-
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
-
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.
_
Key resources
If you have a question about the firestorm, let the LAist newsroom know.
Stay informed: Fact checks
-
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
-
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.
-
Firefighters at the Station Fire | AP Photo/Philip Scott Andrews Officials with the Los Angeles County Fire Department released the names of the two firefighters who lost their lives in the Station Fire earlier today. Captain Tedmund “Ted” Hall, 47, and 35-year-old Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo ”Arnie” Quinones went over the edge of a mountainside road south of Acton as they were overrun by the fire while driving a vehicle. Hall, a 26-year veteran of...
-
The Cottonwood Fire, which has burned just under 2,500 acres in the Hemet area, is now being reported as being 75% contained, and no structures have been damaged, according to abc7.com. The Morris Fire, which has consumed just under 2,200 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa, is 95% contained and authorities revealed today that the cause of the blaze has been identified as arson, reports the Pasadena Star-News. Very late last night...
-
"The City of La Canada Flintridge advises that evacuation orders were lifted at noon for most of the evacuated area in the Station Fire area, including the area from Arroyo Seco on the east to Angeles Crest Highway, and then continuing west to Palm Drive. Evacuation orders are still in effect for the portion of La Canada Flintridge west of Palm Drive and north of Olive Lane," reports KTLA. The threat of the fire...
-
One major concern when it comes to the Station Fire is its proximity to Mount Wilson, which is home to a renowned 105-year-old Observatory, as well as communication towers for many local television and radio outlets ("relay broadcasting"). Although there are no personnel currently allowed on Mt. Wilson, they are monitoring the fire as best they can via the news, and posting updates to their website. They also operate a live webcam from one...
-
Photo by East of West LA via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr In just a few short hours since dawn, the Station Fire is now reportedly burning over 35,000 acres, and has spawned a new set of evacuations. Deputies are now ordering out residents of "Crown Valley, Soledad Canyon and Aliso Canyon as the fire [has] moved northwest along the Angeles Forest Highway," reports the Pasadena Star-News. The fire's movement is described...
-
Photo by nathanielperales via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The Station Fire, which began on Thursday in the Angeles National Forest, made short work of tearing through the hilly acreage of the San Gabriel foothills that haven't burned in decades. Now estimated at over 20,000 acres in size, the fire is moving northward currently, and is expected to pose a threat to the community of Acton, according to an abc7 live newscast....
-
Tom Andrews/LAist Angeles National Forest officials are reporting this afternoon that the Station Fire is also crawling eastward from La Canada Flintridge towards north of Altadena in addition to its west- and northwardly directions. Areas such as Big Tujunga Canyon, Brown Canyon and Brown Mountain are affected. No evacuations of any kind have been ordered for Altadena, but authorities say it's a good idea to prepare and keep alert. "Some of this area hasn't...
-
The LA County Fire Department is reporting and responding to two cases of civilian injuries sustained in the Station Fire. "2 civilians w/ burn injuries @ Big Tujunga fire station. 3rd degree over 50% of their bodies," comes the brief notation on the injured parties via the LA Co. Fire Twitter feed. Structures were reported as burning in this one of three branches of the Station Fire, which began Thursday in the Angeles National...
-
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa later today intends to nominate Battalion Chief Millage Peaks to head the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to sources close to the department speaking under the condition of anonymity. Peaks, a 33-year veteran of the department will replace Chief Barry Douglas, who will retire this weekend. Currently the Chief of Battalion 4 (LAX, Venice and other Pacific coast and inland neighborhoods), Peaks joined the department in 1976 and was promoted to be a captain in 1984. Eight years later, he became a Battalion Chief in South L.A.
