One Year After LA Fires, Rebuilding Lags

One year after the Palisades and Eaton fires ravaged Los Angeles County, the hardest-hit communities remain largely unchanged, with fewer than a dozen homes fully rebuilt amid ongoing struggles with insurance, costs and contamination.

The blazes erupted on January 7, 2025, fueled by drought conditions and Santa Ana winds gusting up to 90 miles per hour. The Palisades Fire, starting in the upscale coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, burned 23,700 acres, destroyed more than 6,800 structures and claimed 12 lives. The Eaton Fire ignited hours later in Altadena, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, scorching 14,000 acres, leveling 9,400 buildings and killing 19 people. Together, the fires razed nearly 16,000 homes and other properties across Pacific Palisades, Altadena and parts of Malibu, marking them among California's most destructive wildfires on record. Officials reported 31 direct fatalities, with the flames contained after weeks of intense firefighting efforts hampered by the high winds.

In the immediate aftermath, more than 10,000 properties underwent a two-phase cleanup coordinated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for hazardous waste and the U.S....