Imperfect Paradise: Reports about failures in response to the January LA fires and a 2018 fire have striking similarities

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🗓️ 3 October 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

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Summary

A new report details the Eaton and Palisades fires, including failures in the emergency response. But this report bears striking similarities with another -- which chronicled the response to the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Southern California. LAist science reporter Jacob Margolis discusses the reports and what they mean for L.A. County moving forward.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This Old House Radio Hour is your new home improvement podcast.
0:04.0	In each episode, we answer your questions.
0:06.0	Whether you're fixing a leak, refinishing a floor, or restoring a century-old house.
0:11.0	Our roster of experts have the answers to help you get the job done right.
0:15.0	This is Larry Mantle, Air Talks on the Road, for a special program devoted to the rebuilding process in Pacific Palisades.
0:22.8	Join us Tuesday evening, October 14th of Road Stage in Santa Monica.
0:27.5	Tickets at LAIS.com slash events.
0:32.0	Hey, this is in Perfect Paradise. I'm Antonio Serejillo.
0:36.1	It's been nine months since the devastating
0:38.3	Eaton and Palisades fires swept through Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. Finally, we're
0:44.6	getting some deep insight into what went wrong. That clarity is coming thanks to an after-action
0:50.3	report released last week. Particularly with elected officials, when they say we couldn't have seen this coming and
0:56.1	this was unimaginable, people need to push back aggressively against that level of bullshit.
1:02.9	Today, on Imperfect Paradise, we're speaking with LAS science reporter Jacob Margolis about
1:07.9	that report, which examined alerts and evacuations that authority sent out
1:12.5	during the January fires. Jacob is going to break down that report and what went wrong and also
1:18.2	talk about the alarming similarities he saw in an after-action report released six years ago after
1:24.2	the 2018 Wolsey Fire.
1:29.7	Jacob, thanks so much for being on Imperfect Paradise.
1:31.2	Thanks for having me.
1:36.0	So, okay, before we get into this report, I think it's important to note that the fire authorities in Southern California are some of the largest and most well-resourced agencies around the
1:41.2	world.
	...

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