One Year Later: LA’s Palisades and Eaton Fires Still Haunt Survivors as Rebuild Crawls Forward

January 7th, 2026. One year exactly since the world ended for thousands of Southern Californians.

I mean, the actual world kept spinning, obviously. But if your entire life burned down in a single afternoon? Your world ended. And Im not sure how you even begin to process that.

The Palisades Fire started at 10:30 AM. The Eaton Fire started at 6:15 PM. By the time it was over – and I use “over” loosely here, because is it ever really over? – 31 people were dead. Over 17,000 homes destroyed or severely damaged. 200,000 people evacuated.

One year later, fewer than 1,000 buildings are under construction.

The Numbers Are Just… A Lot

The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres and destroyed 6,837 structures. The Eaton Fire burned 14,021 acres and destroyed 10,491 structures. Both fires reached 100% containment on January 31st, 2025.

But containment isnt the same as recovery. Not even close.

NPR visited the affected areas for the anniversary. Their reporters described recovery that “ping-pongs between in-progress and in-limbo.” Thats such a perfect phrase and I kind of hate how accurate it is.

Insured losses may exceed $20 billion. Total economic losses could reach $50 billion. These are numbers so big they stop meaning anything. But when its your house, your neighborhood, your kids’ school? Its everything.

The Cause That Makes You Scream

The Palisades Fire is suspected to have started from New Years Eve fireworks. Fireworks. Someones celebration potentially caused 12 deaths and billions in damage. The Eaton Fire was possibly caused by downed power lines. Santa Ana winds reached 100 mph in some places. Drought conditions. Low humidity. Vegetation buildup from the previous winter.

California has always burned. But not like this. We covered last months Christmas storms – the state swings between drowning and burning now. Its exhausting to even think about.

The Human Wreckage

Celebrities lost homes: Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore, Anthony Hopkins, many others. Producer Madlib lost “decades of music and equipment.” But the celebrity losses got coverage. The regular people? Not so much.

NBC journalist Jacob Soboroff was raised in Pacific Palisades. “Everything I knew burned down around me.” Thats the quote that gutted me. Because for most people, this wasnt a story on the news. It was their whole life.

Pacific Palisades and Altadena are mostly empty during the day now. Workers come in, work on what theyre working on, and leave at night. The streets are a patchwork of empty lots. Some facades of historic buildings remain, standing like monuments to what used to be there.

For-sale signs everywhere. Many people cant afford to return. Many dont have the stomach for it.

Why Isnt More Happening?

This is the part that makes me anxious. And angry. Mostly anxious-angry, which is not a fun emotional state, let me tell you.

Many survivors still cant afford to rebuild. Insurance payouts are unclear for many. FEMA response has been criticized as inadequate – especially after Trump administration cuts to disaster relief. The federal disaster aid package ($33.9 billion) got held hostage politically for months.

Temporary power lines were erected, which frustrated residents who wanted underground infrastructure. “They want to build first and infrastructure later,” one resident told reporters. Which, okay, I get the urgency, but also? Maybe do it right this time?

The Class Divide

Heres what keeps me up at night (besides, you know, general anxiety about everything). Citizens are forming groups like the Palisades Community Coalition. But theres real concern that only wealthy people will be able to return.

“Only people who can afford to buy land and build a big house,” is how one community organizer put it. The middle-class neighborhoods that used to exist? They might not come back. At least not as middle-class neighborhoods.

Were still in a high-fire severity zone. There will be another fire. Thats not pessimism, thats just… California now. Like what happened in Paradise (2018), Boulder County (2021), Lahaina (2023). Communities that burned and will never be quite the same.

January 7th, 2026

On the anniversary, protesters held a “They Let Us Burn” rally that shut down streets. Spencer Pratt – yes, that Spencer Pratt from The Hills, who lost his home in the fire – announced hes running for mayor at the protest. I dont even know what to do with that information.

One year. 31 dead. 17,000 homes gone. Fewer than 1,000 being rebuilt.

How do you even process losing everything and then spending a year in limbo? I honestly dont know. But I know that thousands of people are living that reality right now, and theyre probably tired of people like me writing about them from the comfort of my apartment that didnt burn down.

If you know someone affected, check on them. This anniversary isnt easy. And recovery – real recovery – might take a decade. Or longer. Or maybe never fully happen.

That last possibility is the one I try not to think about too much.

Harper Lane writes about lifestyle and wellness for ReportDoor.