California Today: ‘A Quiet Force’: Harris Returns Home After Making History in Washington

Today's top stories from California.

January 21, 2025, 9:31 a.m. Eastern time By Jennifer Medina To truly take in the enormity, it helps to get up close. The Palisades and Eaton fires are roughly 30 miles from each other. I drove to the center of both last week, trying to make sense of how Los Angeles was suddenly transformed. I've lived and reported here for more than a decade, and have covered countless wildfires and other disasters. The scale of this one, I knew, was different. The two burned landscapes looked eerily similar: Basketball hoops and chimneys rose over the decimated landscape like charred towers. But as I went from block to block, what surprised me most was not the sight so much as the smell. It wasn't just one universal stench of burned metal. The scents shifted, ever so subtly. One destroyed home smelled more acrid than the other; another more like sulfur, that one more woodsy. Again and again, I was struck by the unique way havoc played on the nose. It all felt surreal. In the Palisades, I spent several minutes staring at the charred ruin of an A.T.M. It was blackened and hollowed out, the keypads a melted mess. George Barber, a lifelong Los Angeles resident and a veteran of the Iraq war, stood in front of me, a handgun strapped to his waist. The security company he works for had sent him to make sure the fire-safe cashboxes were still secure. They were, Mr. Barber said, pointing to an area behind the wall. This, too, was surreal. Here was an armed guard, in a place burned to the ground, monitoring the precious cash. He did the same thing hours earlier in Altadena. Even in a disaster zone, it seems, paper money must be protected. "I've seen a lot," said Mr. Barber, who was taking pictures of the devastation. "But never anything like this." Today's Top Story Kenny Holston/The New York Times 'A Quiet Force': Harris Returns Home After Making History in Washington The former vice president's first acts as a nonelected official for the first time in decades could be a sign of what comes next. Read more More California News 3 Small Fires Break Out in San Diego Area, Forcing Evacuations The blazes ignited in San Diego County early Tuesday, keeping Southern California on edge as dangerous fire conditions persisted. In Car-Loving Los Angeles, the Charred Remains of Vehicles Cut Deep For many residents, a set of wheels is an extension of their home, a key to their income or a source of priceless memories. 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. 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 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. 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. 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 Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. Green Smoothie Recipe from Veggies Natural Juice Bar & Cafe Adapted by Ali Slagle 10 minutes Makes 1 (16-ounce/2-cup) smoothie 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? 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