California Today: Living Through the Fires, and Covering Them

Today's top stories from California.

January 20, 2025, 9:31 a.m. Eastern time By Eli Saslow One of my favorite things about making reporting trips to Los Angeles is that I always get to visit my uncle and his family at their condo in Pacific Palisades. Last week was different. They are new evacuees, bouncing between a friend's apartment and a relative's house in the suburbs, traveling across the city with a shared suitcase and Pixel, their beloved pet cockatiel. I met them at a restaurant in Thousand Oaks, and my cousin tucked Pixel's cage into our booth and then showed me the latest photo of their condo building. It was scarred but somehow still standing amid the ruins of their community. Gone was the grocery store where my uncle bought chicken fingers at the hot bar, the barbershop where Joe had cut his hair for three decades, the public high school where my cousin would no longer be finishing his senior year. "We got so unbelievably lucky," my cousin said. Luck is a matter of perspective in the aftermath of a disaster, and my uncle and his family recognized little kindnesses everywhere. There were pop-up tents that gave them free socks and police officers who helped retrieve their medications. The waitress came for our order. We fumbled with the menus. "We're exhausted," my aunt explained, and the waitress smiled. "I'll come right back," she said. Pixel was making a racket in his cage. He hadn't done much dining out in his former life at the condo. Other diners began to stare. The waitress circled back, and after several more minutes of deliberation, my uncle ordered the cod. "Baked, broiled, poached, fried or grilled?" the waitress asked. My uncle reached back for his menu, and for the first time he seemed a bit fragile. "So many decisions," he said. Where to sleep, what to do, where to live. "I'm sorry about us," my aunt said. "Oh honey, take your time," the waitress said. "Let me go get you some more bread." Today's Top Story Philip Cheung for The New York Times Living Through the Fires, and Covering Them New York Times reporters have been writing personal portraits about the fires in the California Today newsletter. Here is a collection of their dispatches on what the disaster means to them, and to Los Angeles. Read more More California News Southern California Is Threatened by More Damaging and Dangerous Winds With more critical fire weather this week in Los Angeles, the National Weather Service once again issued one of its strongest warnings possible. The L.A. Fires Expose a Web of Governments, Weak by Design Who's in charge? The muddled jurisdiction of Los Angeles leaves a critical question in doubt. The 24 Hours When L.A. Went Up in Flames Poor planning, delayed evacuations, strained resources and treacherous conditions allowed firestorms to overrun a region that thought it knew how to fight wildfires. Their Homes Are Intact, but the Fire Damage Inside Is Unbearable Some evacuees from the Eaton fire have been allowed back into their homes, only to find that smoke and ash have made living there impossible for now. Rescuing Pongo, Pearl, Bandit, Tiger and Zipper Throughout the burn zone, Angelenos struggled to save their pets. Among the most difficult to save are those that live in water. How Will L.A. Rebuild? The Recovery From the Wine Country Fire Offers Clues. The Tubbs fire in 2017 wiped out more than 5,000 structures in a Northern California county. Homeowners faced challenges, but hundreds were able to rebuild within two years. As the Living Fled, a Race to Save the Dead at an Altadena Cemetery Workers at the Mountain View cemetery had unique concerns the night the Eaton fire broke out. The 55-acre expanse may also have spared some homes from the flames. Open Houses in Los Angeles Take on an Eerie Feeling Though thousands of residents who have lost their homes are desperately searching for somewhere to live, potential home buyers are weighing risks. Local Conditions Look up the heat index in your area using The Times's heat tracker. See active fires using The Times's wildfire tracker. Today's Recipe Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Creamy Butternut Squash and Coconut Noodle Soup By Christian Reynoso 35 minutes Makes 4 servings Play a Game The Mini Crossword Solve this bite-sized puzzle in just a few minutes. Spelling Bee How many words can you make with 7 letters? Wordle Guess the 5-letter word with 6 chances. See all our games Sign up for Your Places: Extreme Weather. Get notified about extreme weather before it happens with custom alerts for places in the U.S. you choose. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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