Photo By Ryan Babroff, CC by 2.0

By Audrey W.

   On January 7th, a tragedy struck in Palisades, Los Angeles.  A wildfire started in the Los Angeles area.  The wildfire burned around 23, 000 acres, taking 24 lives as of January 14th. Satellite data that contains fire alerts say that large wildfires like the current one are rare.  The 2012-2024 average was only one and a half fire average. Suddenly in 2025, over 170 fire alerts were detected in Los Angeles County as of January 13.

  Day 9 of the L.A fires, the current cost of the damages could be at least $250 billion dollars.  Who will be paying for these damages? The Federal Emergency Response Agency (FEMA) 

will be helping clearing the debris and aiding in the emergency shelters for evacuation and offering monetary support for the displaced residents.  President Joe Biden stated that the federal government will cover all of the fire response costs and provide a one-time $770 stimulus check for those impacted.  State & private insurers will be responsible for covering much, but not obliged to cover the property damage of their clients.

  What got destroyed in the fire?  Historic Landmarks like the Altadena Golf Course, founded in 1910, Reel Inn, a popular seafood restaurant in Malibu and Malibu Feed Bin, a pet supply and gift shop founded in 1966 was sadly destroyed in the fire.  Arnold Schoenberg, son of Larry Schoenberg, reportedly estimated about 100 thousand scores written by Arnold were destroyed in the fire.  Houses of celebrities like Pete Lee, Paris Hilton, Leighton Meester, and singer Jhené Aiko’s houses, were burnt down in the fires.  

Works Cited

Kelly, Allie. “The Cost of the Los Angeles Wildfires’ Damage Could Be at Least $250 Billion. Here’s Who Pays the Bills.” Business Insider, 15 Jan. 2025, http://www.businessinsider.com/california-la-fire-damage-cost-estimate-who-pays-2025-1.

MacCarthy, James. “4 Graphics Explain Los Angeles’ Rare and Devastating January Fires.” World Resources Institute, http://www.wri.org/insights/los-angeles-fires-january-2025-explained#:~:text=It%20was%20updated%20on%20Jan,24%20lives%20as%20of%20Jan.

Roush, Ty, and Mary Whitfill Roeloffs. “L.A. Fires: These Celebrities—Barbara Corcoran, Eugene Levy and More—Had Homes Destroyed Along With Historic Landmarks.” Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025, http://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/01/13/la-fires-these-celebrities-barbara-corcoran-eugene-levy-and-more-had-homes-destroyed-along-with-historic-landmarks.