So we're coming up kind of the west side of the burn scar now.

But you can also still see the difference between the mountains that are green and the mountains

that are burned.

This is my colleague, Michael Cohen.

My name is Michael Bradley Cohen.

I am a deals writer at Wirecutter for all of those who follow along over Black Friday.

Michael goes by Mike, and he used to live in the neighborhood we're driving through right now,

Altadina, just outside of L.A.

Exactly a year ago, on January 7, 2025, the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted.

They would ultimately become among the most destructive in California's history,

eventually burning down more than 16,000 structures, including nearly 6,000 homes in Altadena.

Mike's home was one of them.

I lived in Altadena. Mike's home was one of them. I lived in Altadena. And it was the first home we ever bought.

It has gotten so much better already.

And even driving up Lincoln, like, all of this was covered in ash and debris and everything.

And to see all the lawns back and to see like people here is all really, really exciting.

Again, we're still kind of just skirting the burnscar, but we'll turn right on Altadena Drive, and then we'll head in.

I'm Christine Cyr-Clicette, and this is The Wirecutter Show.

Today's episode is the first in a three-part series. It's an

expansion of what we normally do on this show. We're going to focus on the disaster,

collectively known as the LA Wildfires. We'll be talking about some specific pieces of advice

in the context of emergency preparedness, but we're also going to hear the human side of

...