The Big Burn: The Southern California Problem

Some of the most striking images to come out of the Los Angeles wildfires are photos of a single intact house, surrounded by rubble. We wondered: why do some houses burn down and not others? Is it possible to build a fire-proof house? Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido, correspondent Emily Guerin, and host of the LAist Studios podcast The Big Burn Jacob Margolis, look at what preventative measures you can take to try to save your house in a wildfire. Plus, we meet a man who tried to build a fire-proof house and a woman who lost everything, yet chose to rebuild in exactly the same place. To see photos of the bunker home in Topanga Canyon: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkueCwIrHta/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Eaton Fire Ring Cam footage: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEydaaLvfra/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9c2269c5-a77d-42d6-8333-3c4ad540ccd0 Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety homes on fire video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQIHtMQ_y5k&ab_channel=InsuranceInstituteforBusiness%26HomeSafety%28IBHS%29  This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com  Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

The same factors that make Los Angeles an appealing place to live, like large urban scale development intertwined with nature, are also the reason we need a fundamentally different approach to fire. Host Antonia Cereijido and science reporter and host of LAist podcast The Big Burn Jacob Margolis dive into what makes Southern California’s ecology unique and what that means for fire management. This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com  Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

Larry Mantle has been a radio host in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years. Over the course of hosting his live, daily, public affairs call-in show on LAist 89.3, he’s covered the region’s biggest triumphs and tragedies, hearing from officials and Angelenos alike. Covering the Palisades, Eaton, and other current LA wildfires has been especially trying. “I have never seen in such a short period of time this kind of devastation,” said Mantle. Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijdio and AirTalk’s Larry Mantle take us inside the first five days of the wildfires and how Mantle is helping Angelenos process the devastation throughout Southern California on his show. This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com  Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

LAist Science Reporter Jacob Margolis looks at what Angelenos affected by the LA wildfires can expect as they try to rebuild their lives. In this hour, Margolis turns to experts about what to know about housing options, recouping losses, and making homes and neighborhoods more fire resistant. And he also gets insights from a 2017 Tubbs Fire wildfire survivor about the recovery and healing process after losing everything. Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!   Guests: David Wagner, LAist Housing Reporter Alex Robertson, lawyer with Robertson & Associates, LLP David Shew, former Cal Fire chief, Napa County Fire Administrator Stephanie Pincetl, Professor at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities Melissa Geissinger, a survivor of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa. https://melissageissinger.com/

LAist Science Reporter Jacob Margolis puts the wildfires and the devastation throughout Southern California into context and explains the science of the fires. In this hour, Margolis speaks with several experts about what we know about current wildfires burning across region, their resulting air quality questions, how to make sense of fire updates, and hears from former firefighters. Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!   Guests: Derek Bart, retired LA County Fire Captain Clare Frank, former Cal Fire chief of fire protection and author of the book Burnt: A Memoir of fighting fire Mary Johnson, principal research scientist and manager of the Allergy, Climate, and Exposomics Lab at Harvard Scott Stephens, professor of fire science at UC Berkeley Jill Replogle, LAist Correspondent

Los Angeles County has been ravaged by multiple fires. Thousands of structures were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of Angelenos have evacuated. Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and correspondent Emily Guerin answer your most commonly asked questions about wildfires such as: Why are so many houses built in fire prone areas? How did the fires get so bad? What should I pack in my go bag? Plus, we get wildfire and evacuation advice from our podcast about wildfires, The Big Burn, with Science Reporter Jacob Margolis. This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

We get into our feelings.  Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!

Jacob and retired LA County Fire Captain Derek Bart answer your burning questions.  Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!

We check out an unconventional solution to wind-driven fires. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!

Why prescribed burning won’t solve all of our fire woes. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!