Six months after unprecedented twin fires tore through the Pacific Palisades near Malibu and Eaton Canyon, rapidly burning homes in Pasadena and destroying 70% of Altadena, the cleanup process has been rapid but rebuilding has been slowed by insurance and financial issues.
The recovery from the fires is an evolving saga that changes by the day. But here’s a brisk overview of what we know at this milestone:
The Scope: Among state’s worst ever
Even six months later, the scale of the fires is mind-boggling.
The Eaton fire charred 14,021 acres, killing 18 civilians and destroying 9,414 structures — both residential and commercial. Altadena was nearly wiped off the map and has become a near ghost town, destroying more than 7,000 residential and commercial units, plus many churches and nonprofits.
In the Palisades, along the coast, 23,448 acres burned, killing 12 civilians and destroying 6,837 structures — both residential and commercial.
The fires were fueled by dry weather and a rare windstorm that strengthened flames and carried embers via 80 mph gusts, creating an unprecedented crisis that overwhelmed firefighting efforts.
According to Los Angeles County officials, the wildfires of Jan. 7 and Jan. 8 destroyed more than 18,000 structures, caused $250 billion in economic losses and displaced more than 100,000 residents.
Clearly the twin fires were one of the region’s worst-ever fires and are estimated to be among the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.
Causes: Working theories are evolving
Causes of both fires remain undetermined. But there are some working theories.
In the Palisades fire, then-L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the department was investigating that a previous fire was a possible cause.
Six days before the Palisades fire started, Los Angeles firefighters rushed to the hillside community to put out a brush fire. Fire investigators were looking into that fire at a hiking area called Skull Rock, the scene of the New Year’s Day fire. Crews battled the 8-acre fire in the 1600 block of Via Las Palmas. The theory is that fire may have re-ignited on Jan. 7.
As for a possible cause of the Eaton fire, attention centers on an old transmission tower named the Mesa-Sylmar line in Eaton Canyon in eastern Pasadena that was taken out of commission after being damaged in the 1971 San Fernando earthquake.
Edison International Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro told the media that Tower 208 may have become reenergized through a phenomenon called “induction,” in which the electromagnetic field of a nearby active line reenergizes an idle line. That has become a leading theory in SCE’s investigation into the cause of the fire, Pizarro said.
SCE left the old towers standing rather than remove them, that is, until crews took down the tower in question more than two months ago.
More than 130 lawsuits have been filed against the utility, blaming it for sparking the devastating blaze either through molten material falling from a reenergized power line or through an exposed ground wire that was in contact with the brush.
Progress toward recovery
The percentage of private lots cleared in the Eaton fire is 96%. The percentage of cleared private lots in the Palisades is 89%, according to Gerre Laine L. Alcordo, spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers. The figures were as of Thursday night, July 3.
L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena and Pasadena, said the Army Corps response set a record for speed and scale. She estimated debris removal has been completed on 5,365 properties affected by the Eaton Fire, with completion by end of summer.
Included in that is the completion of the clearing process for 124 of 125 burned structures specifically in Pasadena by the end of June.
“Altadena’s recovery has demonstrated what is possible when local, state, and federal agencies work together in lockstep,” Barger said. “In the time since the Eaton Fire, I’ve traveled to Washington D.C. and met with top level officials within the Presidential Administration, key Congressional leaders, and FEMA officials to advocate for ongoing support.”
Wildlife is steadily returning to the burned regions and scientists are closely monitoring the animals.
FEMA has approved $140 million in assistance to eligible county residents affected by the wildfires, including $45 million in housing assistance, Barger reported.
Rebuilding or selling?
In the Palisades, nearly 79% of homeowners intend to rebuild, but 70% said they may not return if the process dragged on for more than three years. In the Eaton fire area, 89% intend to rebuild, with 63% saying no if it took too long. The data is from a survey from the Urban Land Institute, in cooperation with USC and UCLA.
Because insurance reimbursement levels are low as compared to the cost of rebuilding, the survey concluded: “A significant share of respondents are uncertain if they will have sufficient resources to fully cover rebuilding expenses.”
Hundreds of homeowners have applied for city or county approval for new home designs and other permits to rebuild or repair their homes.
Los Angeles approved its first building permit about two months after the fires. By comparison, it took seven months before the first such permit was approved after the Woolsey Fire in 2018.
Services, protections
Here’s a brisk overview of some of the services and protects available to people who lost homes in the fires.
• Rental housing price gouging protections are extended through July 31 by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. These limit rent and hotel rate increases and prohibit evictions so that a landlord can relist the unit at higher rates.
• For advice on preventing property foreclosures, L.A. County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs counselors are available to help. For more information, call DCBA at 1-800-593-8222 or visit dcba.lacounty.gov/foreclosure-prevention.
• Economic injury loans for small businesses and private nonprofit organizations in the fire zones are available in the form of Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Visit: sba.gov.
• Worried about lead exposure from fire ash? Free blood tests are available through December by scheduling a blood test appointment by calling: 1-800-LA-4-LEAD (1-800-524-5323). The county Department of Public Health has screened more than 1,500 adults and children at community events. To date, all but seven test results have been below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) blood lead reference value of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter, indicating no elevated blood lead levels among the vast majority of those tested.
• For help with rebuilding, go to: 1. LA County One-Stop Permit Center, 464 West Woodbury Road, Suite 210, Altadena, CA 91001. Walk-in hours: Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 2. LA County One-Stop Permit Center,26600 Agoura Road, #110, Calabasas, CA 91302. Walk-in hours: Monday – Friday: 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. 3. City of LA – One Stop Permit Center, 1828 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025. Open Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this report