The first five days: Inside LA’s most destructive wildfires
Imperfect Paradise
LAist Studios
4.5 • 535 Ratings
🗓️ 16 January 2025
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Larry Mantle has been a radio host in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years. Over the course of hosting his live, daily, public affairs call-in show on LAist 89.3, he’s covered the region’s biggest triumphs and tragedies, hearing from officials and Angelenos alike. Covering the Palisades, Eaton, and other current LA wildfires has been especially trying. “I have never seen in such a short period of time this kind of devastation,” said Mantle. Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijdio and AirTalk’s Larry Mantle take us inside the first five days of the wildfires and how Mantle is helping Angelenos process the devastation throughout Southern California on his show.
This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos
Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise
Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com
Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Support for LAIST comes from CarPros Kia and the new 2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid, |
| 0:06.3 | redesigned with striking new looks, advanced driver assistance features, and third row seating. |
| 0:11.7 | You can learn more at CarPros Kia in Glendale, Huntington Beach, and Moreno Valley. |
| 0:16.7 | LAISD is supported by Elephant Energy. |
| 0:19.3 | Elephant Energy is LA's expert in installing modern and efficient heating and cooling systems, |
| 0:24.5 | the new standard for whisper-quiet comfort year-round. |
| 0:28.0 | They handle the design and the rebates to save you thousands. |
| 0:30.9 | Claim your rebates at elephantenergy.com. |
| 0:33.6 | Hey, this is in Perfect Paradise. |
| 0:35.6 | I'm Antonia Ceregido. |
| 0:41.5 | Thank you. Hey, this is in Perfect Paradise. I'm Antonia Zedijido. Last week, Southern California was hit with one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, |
| 0:47.7 | a series of 23 ongoing wildfires in the L.A. metropolitan area. |
| 0:52.5 | We're recording this episode on Tuesday, January 14th. |
| 0:56.1 | As of noon today, more than 40,000 acres have been burned, |
| 1:00.1 | larger than the area of Washington, D.C. |
| 1:03.1 | Over 12,000 structures have been destroyed, |
| 1:06.3 | libraries, restaurants, schools, local landmarks, and homes. |
| 1:11.8 | At least 24 people have been killed. |
| 1:15.0 | An incalculable loss. |
| 1:22.8 | Historic and dangerous events like the ones we've been experiencing over the last couple of weeks |
| 1:28.0 | are the kinds of events that newsrooms like ours at L.A.S. are set up to cover. And normally, |
| 1:34.6 | that means deploying our reporters to the scene of the destruction or impact. But in rare cases, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from LAist Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of LAist Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.