Imperfect Paradise: Where is LA a year after the fires? Checking in with survivors, rebuilding and nature
California City
LAist Studios
4.5 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 9 January 2026
⏱️ 53 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It’s been one year since two of the most destructive fires in California’s history – the Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades – killed 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures. In this episode, we talk with LAist Climate and Environment Reporter Erin Stone on how families in the Palisades and Altadena are rebuilding. We'll also hear from LAist Reporter Libby Rainey on how some Altadena residents are coming together to build back quicker and more affordably. Finally, LAist Science Reporter Jacob Margolis takes us to the San Gabriel and Santa Monica Mountains for a check-in with nature.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Nereida Moreno, host of the LA Report's afternoon edition, the stories you need in less than five minutes. |
| 0:08.0 | You're listening to The LA Report? |
| 0:10.0 | Subscribe wherever you get podcasts. |
| 0:15.0 | Here at LAist, you ask, we answer. |
| 0:17.6 | Our live events cover topics like climate change, cooking, and current events, to name a few. |
| 0:22.2 | Or you can come see a live taping of our new hit show. Go Fact Yourself. Check out atleist.com |
| 0:28.0 | slash events for more information. You're listening to Imperfect Paradise. I'm your host, Nerida Moreno. |
| 0:35.6 | It's been one year since the deadly January fires ripped through the Los Angeles area. |
| 0:40.9 | We've covered them extensively at LAist and on this show over the last year. |
| 0:45.7 | I have never seen in such a short period of time this kind of devastation. |
| 0:51.9 | Let's go higher and higher. |
| 0:53.2 | How could this keep getting worse? |
| 0:54.8 | We got our answer with these fires. |
| 0:56.6 | Once we started learning about the victims of the fires, |
| 0:59.7 | there were a lot of headlines about two people who died. |
| 1:04.1 | The Eaton fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades have stood out |
| 1:08.3 | as two of the most catastrophic fires in California's history. |
| 1:12.3 | 31 people were killed and 200,000 people were forced to evacuate from their homes. |
| 1:17.3 | The fires also destroyed and damaged more than 18,000 structures and leveled entire neighborhoods. |
| 1:24.6 | In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, we take stock of the disaster, where things stand on the long road to recovery and the many lives and livelihoods left in limbo. |
| 1:34.8 | We also reflect on the resilience of Southern California a year later. |
| 1:41.3 | We'll get a look into how people are currently faring with LAS climate and environment reporter Aaron Stone. |
... |
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