As wildfires continue to impact our communities, your trusted public media organizations are working together to provide you with daily updates. Starting now, you can count on receiving free, reliable, and essential local news and information to support you during this critical time.

Wildfire News Updates

What This Is

This newsletter helps people who have been affected by the wildfires, from those who’ve lost homes and livelihoods, to people who want to connect with their neighbors and understand what comes next.

We take our inspiration from Fred Rogers, who famously advised his young audience members to “look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

Where can I find temporary housing? How do I talk to children about the fires? Who makes decisions about what is rebuilt and where? How do I maintain my mental health?

We’ll help guide you through these questions and more.

If you'd rather not receive this newsletter, feel free to unsubscribe.

See you on Monday. Until then, be safe and watch out for one another.

– KCRW, LAist, PBS SoCal, and CalMatters

The Latest News

• Looking for a quick summary of fires currently burning in Southern California? We’ve got you covered with the toplines on all the incidents.
• Go deeper on current conditions and containment numbers for the Palisades and Eaton fires.
• We heard late last night that the death toll between the two main fires had reached 10 victims. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the 10 dead. Keep in mind that officials say more deaths are likely to be discovered as they search devastated areas in the days and weeks to come.

Looking Ahead

• What the costliest set of fires in California history could mean for insurance premiums.
• LA fires underscore how much California has to lose if Trump withholds disaster aid.

Fact-Checking Reports

• What really happened with the Pacific Palisades water hydrants? We looked into claims there was no water for firefighters and found it was a bit more complicated.
• A whole lot of nursing home patients ended up at the Pasadena Civic Center — which is not a medical facility. What happened?
• Confused about all this talk of containment percentages for fires? We unpack what it really means for you.
• Before and after images from space capture the devastation of entire neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. As L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference, it looks like bombs were dropped.

Resources & Ways to Help

• Insurance claims
  • Ricardo Lara, California’s insurance commissioner, walks fire victims through the steps to take to make their claim — and avoid getting scammed. He also announced a moratorium on insurance non-renewals and cancellations for residents in fire areas. 
• Food:
  • Food Aid For Fire Victims: Local restaurants and food providers are offering meals for people affected by the fires and facilitating donations.  
  • Chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen has set up meal distribution sites. Check locations here.
  • LA Regional Food Bank's Food Pantry Locator can be found here. 
• Transportation:
  • Lyft: Riders in need can use the code CAFIRERELIEF25, valid for two rides up to $25 each ($50 total) for 500 riders from now until 1/15 at 11:59 PM.
  • Uber: Use promo code WILFIRE25 in the wallet section of your Uber app to redeem a free Uber ride up to $40.
  • Click here for the latest on L.A. Metro’s service updates.
• General Support
  • How to Put Together a Go Bag in Advance
  • For families: How to Talk to Kids About Wildfires

About that false alarm

• A false alarm got sent yesterday afternoon to basically everyone in L.A. County who opted into alerts. Yes, it was loud. Yes, it was scary. Then another went out at 4 AM. County officials apologized Friday morning and said they’re working with FEMA “to investigate the issue.”

For the Feels

• Songs To Soothe: KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic put together this nearly three-hour mix of songs to help you cope, connect, and process what’s happening.
• Acknowledge Your Emotions: Advice from Sandra Stark Shields, who spent more than 30 years as a disaster mental health responder working with LA County and the Red Cross.

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