Extra: Nearly a Year Later, California Wildfire Survivors Still Struggling

The Fox News Rundown

FOX News Podcasts

Politics, Daily News, News

3.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 4 January 2026

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Thousands of Californians who lost their homes in devastating wildfires nearly a year ago are still waiting to rebuild. Insurance gaps, infrastructure delays, and red tape have slowed the process for many families trying to regain a sense of normalcy. For many homeowners, a new deadline is approaching as mortgage forbearance periods expire—raising the prospect of making payments on homes that no longer exist, while they continue to pay rent and shoulder other costs associated with being displaced. Rachel Jonas and Rob Fagnani, who lost their Pacific Palisades home in the fire, recently joined the Rundown’s Jessica Rosenthal to explain the challenges their community is facing and why they launched DisasterMortgageRelief.com, a website dedicated to helping victims of last year’s wildfires and other natural disasters. They detail the urgent need for disaster mortgage relief and explain why families like theirs should not be punished for trying to rebuild their communities after fires, floods, storms, and other catastrophes. We often have to cut interviews short during the week, but we thought you might like to hear the full conversation. Today on Fox News Rundown Extra, we’re sharing our complete interview with DisasterMortgageRelief.com founders Rachel Jonas and Rob Fagnani, where you’ll learn more about rebuilding efforts in California—and why they hope to provide more tools and hope for disaster victims nationwide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought you by Shopify. With Shopify, 2026 is the year you make it happen. It gives you the tools to build your dream store, online and in person. Plus with marketing built in, it'll help you reach exactly who you need to. Join the millions who've already made the leap, like Jim Shark and all birds, and ring in the new year with Shopify.
0:23.4	Sign up for your £1 per month trial at Shopify.com.uk slash Spotify.
0:30.5	This is the Fox News Rundown Extra.
0:36.2	I'm Jessica Rosenthal.
0:38.0	We recently spoke with Rob Finyani and Rachel Jonas.
0:40.8	They lost their home in the Palisades Fire, which started a year ago this coming Wednesday.
0:46.2	They currently live in Tennessee, but want to return to Southern California.
0:50.4	But the cost means rebuilding could take a while.
0:53.1	One big issue they're dealing with is mortgage
0:54.8	forbearance. They haven't had to pay a mortgage on a house that no longer exists for nearly a year,
0:59.7	but that's about all they and other homeowners get, a year. They say that's not enough time
1:04.4	and are about to have to pay the mortgage, the back pay on the mortgage, and rent where they're
1:09.9	currently living.
1:14.1	So they've started this website, disastermortgage relief.com.
1:18.8	And they say if they can get an extension along with loan modification rules codified by Congress,
1:24.1	a federal law could help people following any disaster in the country after their homes and belongings are destroyed.
1:25.8	We often have to cut interviews down for time during the week,
1:27.8	but we thought you might like to hear this full interview.
1:29.9	Thank you for listening.
1:30.7	Please follow the Weekday Rundown podcast if you don't already.
1:33.7	Now, here's Rob Fagnani and Rachel Jonas on the Fox News Rundown Extra.
1:42.9	First tell us about what you guys are facing.
	...

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