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
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.
Latest news
-
An early morning fire sent a medical marijuana dispensary in Westchester up in smoke today. The clinic, the Westchester Collective, was located "on the second floor of a two-story commercial building," at 8936 Sepulveda Blvd., according to cbs2.com. "It took 69 firefighters an hour to extinguish the blaze," that caused property damage but no injuries, and did not spread to nearby structures. Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze...
-
A fire was already burning in the Castaic area when an Amtrak bus nearby on the 5 Freeway caught fire--"exploded" according to news reports--and spread flames into the grass. The Sloan fire has reached heights of 3,000 feet elevation and is persisting in the 103 degree weather of the Santa Clarita Valley. However, good progress is being made, according to the Angeles National Forest's Twitter. Even without the fire, the Santa Clarita Valley and...
-
A fire that sparked up yesterday in Castaic is still burning, but fire officials are starting to gain an upper hand. As of 6 a.m., the Osito Fire near Pyramid Lake is 65% contained and was downgraded from 400 acres to 288, according to official reports. Two lanes were closed on the northbound 5 Freeway and remain closed this morning. No structures have been reported to be damaged and there has been one minor...
-
Another day, another fire. This year's fire season in Southern California may have gotten off to a slow start, things are beginning to pick up. Two fires--the Oak and Marshall fires--burned in and near the Angeles National Forest within the last 24 hours. This afternoon, a new one began near Pyramid Lake in the Grapevine. A first, it was reported to be rather small, then more than 100 acres and now over 350 acres...
-
The fire that began earlier this afternoon has prompted the Getty Center to close for the rest of the day. If should reopen tomorrow pending the status of the fire, which has grown to 10 acres and is slowly traveling northward, according to Erik Scott of the LA Fire Department. 250 firefighters are on the ground coordinated with air attacks. Mount St. Mary's College has also been evacuated. No structures or injuries have been...
-
A fire in the Sepulveda Pass began as a small brusher, only growing to around 10 acres at 3:30 p.m., according to the LA Fire Department. By 4:15 p.m., they said it was 80 acres. Still, no structures have been damaged and no injuries have been reported. As the day moves into late afternoon and nighttime, fire officials are concerned over sundowner winds that could flare up the fire into a larger one. 250...
-
iPhone photo of Getty Drive fire via Emily Lerman for LAist An LAFD Alert reports that a brush fire of approximately 2 acres is burning in the heavy brush near 1200 Getty Center Dr, in the Sepulveda Pass. "L.A. City Fire Department says they will need to fight this fire from the air, as the area is inaccessible," according to abc7, who are also live streaming video-only (no audio) coverage of the fire. UPDATE,...
-
This weekend's Fourth of July holiday and the many celebrations taking place all over Los Angeles means that it's time to remind the non-professional pyrotech-ies that fireworks are, in fact, not only illegal, but also dangerous. The Daily News quotes County Fire Captain Mike Brown, who says: "The use of fireworks not only can cause fires, but can result in severe injuries and burns if not used properly."
-
Motorists spotted a brush fire after midnight last night as they traveled along the 91 Artesia Freeway and the 710 Long Beach Freeway and alerted the California Highway Patrol, reports the Press-Telegram. Firefighters soon arrived on scene to douse the blaze that ultimately "scorched roughly one-fourth of an acre of brush below the transition road" from the 91 to the 710. It took about 15 minutes to get the fire out; no one was...
-
A Taco Zone truck. (Can anyone confirm if this is the one in question?) Photo by Nathan Jongewaard via Flickr Word of the Taco Zone truck that parks near Vons in Echo Park being on fire spread in much the same manner as the blaze last night via Twitter and food-centric message boards. City Council President Eric Garcetti noted the fire and Tweeted the incident: "Taco truck at Von's is on fire. Called it...
