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yesterday

One Year On, Palisades and Eaton Fire Recovery Lags as Scrutiny Intensifies

Insurance disputes plus stalled federal aid have left most survivors unable to return home.

FILE - Embers blow down a street as the Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
Ted Koerner, the first Altadena resident to complete a rebuild, is seen at home on Loma Alta Drive on Dec 15, 2025. The Altadena community in Los Angeles County, California continues rebuilding almost one year since the Eaton wildfire decimated the area in early January 2025.
An aerial view shows houses being rebuilt on cleared lots months after the Palisades Fire, Dec. 5, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
FILE - A bus sits among burned out homes, Jan. 9, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Overview

  • A new community survey reports only 13% of Pacific Palisades single-family homeowners have begun rebuilding, with more than a third considering giving up and just one in four residents back in the neighborhood.
  • Official tallies show 31 deaths and 16,255 structures destroyed, while city and county data count only 10 homes fully rebuilt and roughly 500 projects under construction.
  • Permitting remains a major choke point, with the city of Los Angeles issuing 1,440 of more than 3,000 applications and the county issuing 1,153 of nearly 2,900, leaving thousands still under review.
  • Officials estimate about 70% of survivors face insurance delays or denials, and reporting indicates roughly 80% of affected residents remain displaced nearly a year later.
  • Accountability efforts continue as a suspect in the Palisades case faces charges that carry up to 45 years, the Eaton Fire cause is still under investigation with a possible SoCal Edison link, a $33.9 billion federal aid request is unapproved, and anniversary protests and survivor events are planned for Jan. 7.