How Badly Did the LA Wildfires Affect the Local Soil?

How Badly Did the LA Wildfires Affect the Local Soil?

There’s been a lot written about the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles earlier this year, from the way that locals are rebuilding in their wake to the effect of tariffs on that process. But there’s another big question looming over the proceedings, and it’s something that could affect both people building new construction and anyone whose job or recreational activities take them to places affected by the fires: namely, were there any adverse…

How we tested the soil in Altadena and Pacific Palisades

Following best practices from previous federal post-wildfire soil-testing efforts, The Times collected samples from residential properties in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.

Rebuilding Identity After Home Fire: Coping with Loss and Change

So, like, you might think a house is just a house, and the stuff inside is just stuff – but you’d think differently if it were yours and it vanished in an instant, as happened to so many peeps in Pacific Palisades and Altadena in the January wildfires. All of those material possessions are a […]

How the Times tested for soil toxins after the L.A. fires

Over three days in late March, four Los Angeles Times environment reporters and an editor fanned out across the Eaton and Palisades burn scars to collect 40 soil samples from residential properties: 10 in each burn area from properties where debris removal was completed by the Army Corps of Engineers and 10 in each burn area from the yards of standing homes. At each stop, the team donned vinyl gloves and boot coverings to prevent the spread of c…