LA Fires



Aditi Jain - Jan. 2025





Not too far from the Bay Area, a series of devastating fires have broken out, displacing thousands and injuring many. These fires are known as the Eaton and Palisades fires, and are amongst the top 10 most destructive and expensive fires in California. Of the thousands of buildings that have been burned down, religious and community centers have also been burnt including places such as the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center and Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church. The fires mostly affected places such as Malibu, Altadena, and Palisades. To make matters worse, many big insurance companies such as State Farm canceled fire insurance a few months prior to the fires leaving many without homes and unable to recover everything they lost. These insurance companies recommended clients to turn to California’s Fair Plan which provides insurance for those who have no other options for insurance. The insurance companies that did not cancel insurance saw a significant increase to the already expensive insurance plan, being four times the original cost. Additionally, getting coverage under the Fair Plan isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Oftentimes those under the plan have to take additional Aditi Jain measures in order to get coverage including things like cutting down trees around their house which tends to be quite pricey. However, this issue does not only affect those living in the affected areas, but also everyone in California as taxes will be used to support the Fair Plan. Due to the cost of insurance being inaccessible for many, those displaced have taken to Go Fund Me in order to get back to the lives they were living and be able to survive. Many of the victims of the fires have faced devastating losses beyond the loss of their houses. Through Go Fund me, many people and families are sharing their stories of loss. These stories show the loss beyond material possessions as many patients battling cancer are being tasked with rebuilding, soon to be parents have been hit with added pressure and World War II survivors are being forced to rebuild from the ground up once more. These are just a few of the stories that are being shared on the platform. Nonetheless, in lieu of recent reports from AP News, the harsh winds fueling and spreading the fire are slowing down allowing firefighters to better extinguish the fires which would allow people to return to their homes and start the rebuilding of their houses.