LA Firestorm: One Year Later

KCRW covers the first anniversary of the Palisades and Eaton Fires, which erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, directly killing more than two dozen people and destroying approximately 16,000 structures.

Community reporting

Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Palisades, Eaton victims mark a year since devastating wildfires
Plus, how the disaster turned ordinary people into activists, and an LA Times investigation reveals the Los Angeles Fire Department made big mistakes that could have prevented much of the destruction.
By Madeleine Brand • Jan 7, 2026 • 49m Listen
Making art after the fire: exhaustion, chaos, and creativity
A pair of artists and their family lost their home and studio in the Eaton Fire. Over the past year they've managed - just barely - to stay creative.
Jan 9, 2026 • 7m Listen
His home burned in a day. The scars have lasted longer.
The loss of Sasha Kanji's childhood home in the Palisades Fire was the beginning of a mental health odyssey he's still navigating.
Jan 7, 2026 • 10m Listen
One year after the Eaton & Palisades fires
Rebuilding the Reel Inn, remembering Christine Moore, eating with the Altadena Dining Club, cleaning up contaminated soil.
By Evan Kleiman • Jan 10, 2026 • 57m Listen
Permits after L.A. fires are going out faster than others. Why?
So far, rebuilding permits have been issued for one out of every five homes that were lost in the Palisades and Eaton Fires.
By Danielle Chiriguayo • Jan 12, 2026 • 4m Listen
KCRW Reports
Construction site vs. empty lot: It all depends on a permit
KCRW followed two families over the last year through the process of rebuilding a home after the January fires, and found the difference between moving on, versus sitting in limbo, came down to a permit to rebuild.
Jan 7, 2026 • 7m Listen
Altadena rapper Fat Tony on grief, resiliency, and…pickles?
Plus, the future of Iran’s regime after hundreds of protesters are killed, the Supreme Court hears two big trans rights cases, and why President Trump is so obsessed with Greenland.
By Madeleine Brand • Jan 12, 2026 • 48m Listen
Altadena lost 70% of its tree canopy. Volunteers are planting.
Efforts aimed at rehabilitating damaged trees and restoring what was lost are now underway.
Nov 20, 2025 • 4m Listen
Sierra Madre's Rose float thanks firefighters - with no flames
The town has been building Rose Parade floats for over 100 years. This year’s celebrates first responders during the Eaton Fire.
Dec 19, 2025 • 4m Listen
Music exec lost it all in fires, made a record 2 days later
Meet Wild Records label founder Reb Kennedy: "I couldn’t be weak, because I had people who depended on me and people who needed to see me being strong."
Nov 4, 2025 • 8m Listen