United in Recovery: Wildfires Disrupt Lives and Businesses Across the Los Angeles Area

The devastating wildfires sweeping through the greater Los Angeles area are a stark reminder of nature’s unpredictability and the resilience required to face such challenges. These fires, driven by high winds and drought conditions, have forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, destroyed homes and businesses, and created hazardous conditions for travel. To those impacted—individuals and companies alike—we recognize your enduring hardships and stand ready to provide guidance, support, and resources to navigate this crisis. Together, we can work toward recovery and resilience in such adversity.  EKA has created a Wildfire Recovery page  on our website where you can find our previous updates with information on relief efforts.

New Fire Debris Removal Order Issued for Public Safety

On Wednesday, January 15, the County’s Health Officer has issued an order that prohibits the clean up and removal of fire debris and ash in the burned residential and business areas of the County until a hazardous materials inspection at the property is conducted.

Key Details:

  • Prohibition in Critical Areas: Cleanup or removal of fire debris in Critical Fire Areas (e.g., Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, Creek, Hurst, and Lidia Fires) is prohibited until an approved government agency completes a hazardous materials inspection.
  • Public Safety: Fire debris and ash contain hazardous substances such as asbestos and heavy metals, posing risks through inhalation, skin contact, and water contamination. Improper handling can endanger workers, residents, and the environment.
  • Examples of Fire Debris: Burnt building materials, household items, foundations, and contaminated soil.

Debris Removal Process:

  • Phase 1 – Hazardous Waste Removal: Certified agencies will assess all burned properties to determine cleanup requirements.
  • Phase 2 – Fire Debris Removal: State and federal programs will handle debris cleanup for property owners who opt in. Alternatively, property owners may hire contractors with prior approval and compliance with regulations.

This order applies only to fire debris and does not restrict the removal of personal property from affected sites. Personal protective equipment is essential for those retrieving belongings. Avoid handling damaged lithium-ion batteries, which pose significant risks.

Local Health Emergency

On Friday, January 10, Public Health declared a local health emergency in response to the widespread impacts of the ongoing multiple critical fire events and windstorm conditions. To help protect residents’ health and well-being, power air blowers, including leaf blowers, are prohibited until further notice. These devices stir up ash and particulate matter into the air, further worsening air quality and increasing health risks for everyone and their pets, particularly those with respiratory conditions, older adults, children, and other vulnerable populations.

City of Malibu

The City is actively inspecting infrastructure, clearing streets of debris, assisting with damage assessments, and stabilizing the area to ensure safe re-entry and expedite rebuilding. In a statement, Mayor Doug Stewart addressed a rumor circulating in the community: there is no permit for expedited re-entry into evacuation zones. Any claims or offers to provide such a permit are false. The City knows some residents have hired private contractors seeking access to evacuation zones. At this time, private contractors are not permitted to access it.

Damage assessments remain ongoing. Residents in mandatory evacuation zones are encouraged to visit https://recovery.lacounty.gov for updates. This site is continually updated with property photos as CalFire completes assessments. By entering your address, you can check whether your property has been evaluated and access available information.

The City of Malibu is also actively participating in the Disaster Recovery Assistance Center at Westside Pavilions, located at 10850 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. This center is available to support residents navigating the rebuilding process. Additionally, the City has scheduled a Town Hall meeting for Malibu residents on Tuesday, January 21, at 6:00 p.m. at Malibu High School. This will allow residents to receive updates, ask questions, and learn more about ongoing recovery efforts.

If residents have critical needs such as pet recovery or medications, the City is working closely with Incident Command to compile a list. Please call (310) 456-2489 to provide information and specific access needs. For the latest updates specific to Malibu, follow the City of Malibu on official channels: Facebook, Instagram, and X: @CityofMalibu or visit www.malibucity.org/palisadesfire.

City of Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council has approved over 20 measures to aid recovery following recent catastrophic fires. These measures include a comprehensive recovery plan, expediting federal emergency funds’ arrival, assessing post-fire mudslides’ risk, and implementing new safeguards to prevent price gouging and evictions. Additionally, they address reuniting displaced individuals with their pets.

One proposal includes initiating work on a bond measure to fund repairs to existing fire stations and constructing new ones. Councilmembers Traci Park and Monica Rodriguez have proposed placing the bond measure on the June 2026 ballot. According to the proposal, the Los Angeles Fire Department has long struggled with insufficient funding to maintain its 106 fire stations, more than half of which are over 50 years old. Power: LADWP has restored power to all customers affected by last week’s windstorm, except those in the fire-impacted areas. This affects approximately 17,000 customers in Pacific Palisades, Encino and Brentwood. For LADWP customers who live in high-risk fire areas, if you experience an outage, LADWP crews may not be able to automatically re-energize power lines serving customers until it is safe to do so. LADWP will not re-energize power lines in high-fire risk areas until crews have patrolled the entire circuit. LADWP also has equipment affected by fire retardants that needs cleaning before they can re-energize these power lines.

Pets: The City has established a dedicated hotline for those who need help retrieving pets inside the evacuation area. Residents can call (213) 270-8155 to answer questions about their pet, its possible location, and its needs. LA Animal Services and LAPD will then notify individuals once they have visited the property.

Price gouging: Angelenos can now report price gouging by calling 311. It is a criminal offense to violate the legal price restrictions for goods, including consumer goods, emergency cleanup supplies, and repair and reconstruction services. These protections extend to housing costs, including hotel and motel rates and rental housing prices. Reporting price-gouging to 311 will support City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto and her office to hold bad actors accountable.

Palisades Fire: Evacuated Residents and Families and Small Animals Shelters: 

  • Stoner Recreation Center | 1835 Stoner Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025
  • Westwood Recreation Center | 1350 S Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
  • Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Recreation Center | 14201 Huston St., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
  • Ritchie Valens Recreation Center | 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Pacoima, CA 91331

Emergency Evacuation Shelter for Large Animals

  • Hansen Dam Horse Park | 11127 Orcas Ave, Hansen Dam, CA 91342

City Disaster Recovery Center Open – This one-stop information and resource center located at the intersection of Westwood & Pico is open. The center will operate from 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM, 7 days a week for several weeks. Services include:

  • Help for those who have lost vital records (birth certificates, death certificates, driver’s licenses, social security documentation).
  • Help for those who have experienced loss or damage to their homes and businesses apply for disaster relief loans.
  • Referrals for mental health counseling and other services.

City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) Palisades Support Camps for School-Age Children and Teens – The RAP Support Camps are an initiative dedicated to assisting families impacted by the Palisades fire. RAP Support Camp provides free day camps at two Westside locations for children ages 5-12 and teens ages 13-17 whose families have been affected by the Palisades fire.

  • Oakwood Recreation Center in Venice and Mar Vista Recreation Center will operate camps Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM, until Friday, January 31.
  • Age-appropriate programs for children ages 5-12 and teens ages 13-17 will include engaging and supportive activities like arts and crafts, sports, and games. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided to ensure they have the nutrition they need during these full days.

Free Hotel Vouchers

Hilton, American Express, and 211 LA have announced a plan to provide vouchers to people impacted by the fires so they can stay free of charge at Hilton properties. In a joint release with American Express, Hilton announced it is making 20,000 hotel room nights available at no charge to impacted people across the greater Los Angeles area. To be considered for the program, residents need to first apply to 211 LA for housing assistance using this application. Residents who have already applied through 211 LA do not need to fill out another application. Read more here.

Insurance Moratoriums

In response to unprecedented losses caused by current wildfires, the California Department of Insurance issued Bulletin 2025-1 (the “Bulletin”) on January 9, 2025. The Bulletin imposes a one-year moratorium on the cancellation or nonrenewal of residential insurance policies in zip codes specifically identified within the Bulletin that have been affected by the wildfires.

The Bulletin was issued under California Insurance Code section 675.1(b)(1), which prohibits insurers from canceling or refusing to renew residential property insurance policies for properties located in any zip code within or adjacent to the fire perimeter for one year following a state of emergency declaration. This restriction applies solely based on the property’s location in a wildfire-affected area. Notably, the moratorium applies to “policies of residential property insurance” as defined in the statute. This includes policies covering:

  • Individually owned residential structures with up to four dwelling units.
  • Individually owned condominium units.
  • Individually owned mobile homes and their contents.
  • Tenants’ policies insuring personal contents of residential units.

In other words, the moratorium extends to homeowners’ policies, renters’ policies, and policies covering the contents of residential dwellings.

The Bulletin specifies the zip codes subject to the moratorium, including areas impacted by the Palisades and Eaton fires. However, these designated areas may be updated if additional neighborhoods are affected by the wildfires. The moratorium on cancellation or nonrenewal of residential policies is in place for one year.

Damage Assessment Map

If you were displaced by the Eaton Fire and aren’t sure about the status of your property, there’s now an interactive map available. The map is searchable by address and includes photos of each property. Each structure is labeled according to how severely it was impacted by the fire. Homes marked black suffered no damage, green are 1-9% affected, yellow are 10-25% affected, orange is 26-50% affected, and red is more than 50% destroyed.

Evacuation Orders

If you’re still displaced and aren’t sure when you’re permitted to return back to your property, Incident Command is releasing evacuation order updates every day at 3 p.m.

On January 16, 2025, the Incident Command Center announced Palisades Fire Repopulation. Please note only certain areas impacted by the Palisades fire will be accessible and access will be given to residents only.

You can check the updated evacuation orders and warnings here.

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The strength of Southern California lies in our unity and resilience. At EKA, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing valuable information and support to help navigate this crisis effectively.

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