Noah Haggerty

Survivors in Palisades and Altadena mark anniversary of deadly fires with anger and mourning A year after two of the most destructive wildfires in California history erupted, survivors commemorated the day in Altadena and Pacific Palisades with anger and remembrance.

One year after the fires. I’ve been so honored to cover these beautiful, resilient communities over the past year — starting with the terrifying Palisades evacuation on Jan. 7, 2025. I’m looking forward to spend another year by your side. www.latimes.com/california/s...

L.A. City ignored fire safety as it permitted development in high risk areas, lawsuit alleges A lawsuit filed Dec. 23 provides 75 examples of building plans seemingly in violation of fire safety regulations designed to improve evacuations and firefighter access.

Fire safety advocates are teaming with NIMBY homeowners to sue Los Angeles over new development: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @nohaggerty.bsky.social

L.A. City ignored fire safety as it permitted development in high risk areas, lawsuit alleges A lawsuit filed Dec. 23 provides 75 examples of building plans seemingly in violation of fire safety regulations designed to improve evacuations and firefighter access.

L.A. City ignored state fire safety regulations as it permitted development in high risk areas, a new lawsuit alleges:
www.latimes.com/environment/...

Early adopters of 'zone zero' fared better in L.A. County fires, insurance-backed investigation finds A new study found that in the Eaton and Palisades fires, homes that had already adopted proposed regulations on creating vegetation-free buffers were less likely to burn.

A new report shows California’s controversial Zone Zero requirements helped save homes in the Palisades and Eaton fires — but some experts warned the insurance-backed investigation doesn’t tell the full story: www.latimes.com/environment/...

Can California learn to let Native American fire practitioners burn freely? Indigenous fire practices are slowly regaining wider acceptance in California, but the dream of burning freely based on the needs of the land is still a long way off.

Here’s a brief and welcome respite from the mantra of don’t-burn-in -SoCal-it’s-not-like-the-Sierra:

“Emily Burgueno calls them ‘sovereign burns… grounded in our creation stories, our sacred beliefs and philosophy.’”
@nohaggerty.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/environment/...

Document raises new questions about restrictions on Jan. 1 Lachman fire mop-up The Wildfire Management Plan for Topanga State Park sets out guidelines and restrictions. It's unclear if the document hampered mop-up of the Lachman fire.

We talked to fire ecologists and fire service veterans about that Topanga State Park Wildfire Plan … Bottom line: 1) No, it doesn’t make sense to leave it “to burn.” 2) The restrictions for areas with sensitive plants & cultural sites are pretty standard: www.latimes.com/california/s...

Thanks for sharing — so many of our evacuation conversations center around cars. Analyses of evacuation times often *only* include cars. Yet, a large fraction of deaths in wildfires are folks who could not drive due to age, injury or disability.

I know an elderly couple with a cabin in Boulder County. They no longer drive at night & know they can't in a smoky firestorm. When Chinook/Santa Ana winds are forecast, they batten down their cabin and stay in central Boulder until the high risk passes.

Cal Fire approach to SoCal's wildfire crisis could make things worse, court says A statewide Cal Fire program risks making fires worse by removing native chaparral and allowing the spread of more flammable grasses, a court ruled.

A court has ordered Cal Fire to amend one of its vegetation removal programs after ecology organizations argued the agency failed to address the risk of flammable grasses growing where vegetation was removed, inadvertently making the wildfire risk worse: www.latimes.com/environment/...

@nohaggerty.bsky.social's LA Times article about wildfire evacuation challenges reminded me how indispensable my e-bike was in the Palisades fire.

We wrote a paper about wildfire shelter-in-place ideas in 2009 - headed by Scott Stephens with AUS colleagues - and they have always been largely and pretty vocally opposed by the fire service…until now? iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

We’ve had what felt like bad fires here twice in the past few years. The highway was shut down, all of the semi traffic took to back roads and 4-way stops.

For hours, with roads blocked, I had no exit.

I had a snorkel by my back door and planned to hunker down in our wildlife pond if I had to.

Can you survive a wildfire sheltering at home? For one community, L.A. County Fire says it may be the only option L.A. County Fire plans to order Topanga residents to shelter-in-place if evacuating from fire isn't possible. It's raised concern from experts and residents, but the department says it has no other op...

LA County Fire Dept is now telling residents in Topanga that if evacuation is not possible, they need to shelter in their homes. It’s a policy that, historically, has proven incredibly dangerous, but the department says it has no better options. My latest: www.latimes.com/environment/...

Many of Altadena's standing homes are still contaminated with lead and asbestos even after cleanup A study led by a community group found that even after cleanups were supposedly complete, many standing homes in Altadena remain contaminated with lead and asbestos.

Many of Altadena's standing homes are still contaminated with lead and asbestos even after cleanup

How Zone Zero, designed to protect California homes from wildfire, became plagued with controversy and delays California needs new rules to help future wildfires from destroying homes and businesses. But Zone Zero regulations, a key tenet of the state's plans, have roiled homeowners.

Great piece about why Zone Zero rulemaking is complicated for a state as big and diverse as CA. Thanks @nohaggerty.bsky.social for the clarity, and to the many (mostly) SoCal voices of reason including Max Moritz @ucanr.edu for improving the outcomes.

www.latimes.com/environment/...

The state's wildfire policy long overlooked SoCal. Now it's course correcting State leaders have long understood Northern California's wildfire crisis and are investing resources to solve it. But in Southern California, the problem is more confounding.

First edition of Boiling Point since I left the LA Times, and it's a good one. @nohaggerty.bsky.social wrote about the importance of different strategies to limit wildfire damage in NorCal and SoCal: www.latimes.com/environment/...

The state's wildfire policy long overlooked SoCal. Now it's course correcting State leaders have long understood Northern California's wildfire crisis and are investing resources to solve it. But in Southern California, the problem is more confounding.

Excited to share I’m joining a stellar team of @latimes.com environment reporters to write our Boiling Point newsletter. Every week, we’ll rotate, giving you the latest news on water, air, land, fire and critters. Today: Why SoCal’s fire problem is so vexing
www.latimes.com/environment/...

Man, machine and mutton: Inside the plan to prevent the next SoCal fire disaster Local fire crews are launching a sweeping effort to prevent future wildfires in the Santa Monica Mountains. It entails using both animals and machines to create fire breaks — a controversial solution in Southern California.

Man, machine and mutton: Inside the plan to prevent the next SoCal fire disaster

The in-depth tale of 2 mobile home parks, post Palisades fire, by @nohaggerty.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/environment/...

Why an affordable slice of L.A. paradise might never recover from the Palisades fire The Pacific Palisades Bowl mobile home park is still riddled with fire debris, months after the park next door was cleaned up. Residents are feeling frustrated and helpless.

Why won't the federal government help rebuild one of the few affordable communities in Pacific Palisades? @nohaggerty.bsky.social investigates: www.latimes.com/environment/...

California needs biomass energy to meet its wildfire goals. Its projects keep going South California needs to burn vegetation both for wildfire mitigation and to generate power. So why do biomass energy projects keep leaving the state?

California needs biomass energy to meet its wildfire goals. Its projects keep going South

California needs biomass energy to meet its wildfire goals. Its projects keep going South California needs to burn vegetation both for wildfire mitigation and to generate power. So why do biomass energy projects keep leaving the state?

Should we be frustrated or relieved that California biomass companies are flocking to build projects in the South instead of here? Super informative story by my colleague @nohaggerty.bsky.social: www.latimes.com/environment/...

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety The federal cleanup of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires was in some ways a historic achievement. But many residents are worried that by moving fast, the results were compromised.

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety. My latest w/ Tony & @nohaggerty.bsky.social @latimes.com:
www.latimes.com/environment/...

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety The federal cleanup of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires was in some ways a historic achievement. But many residents are worried that by moving fast, the results were compromised.

The L.A. wildfire cleanup: Experts worry that the rapid pace of the cleanup resulted in sloppy work and lax oversight that may ultimately cost homeowners. www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety The federal cleanup of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires was in some ways a historic achievement. But many residents are worried that by moving fast, the results were compromised.

The L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Residents eager to rebuild worry officials chose speed over safety

After the trauma of the fires, survivors faced worry over contamination, struggled to find testing With limited resources and scarce information, L.A. fire survivors remain worried about contamination and unable to get environmental testing.

After the Eaton & Palisades fires, LA County residents were worried about contamination in their soil, air, and water. But fewer than half could get testing, leaving many without answers and deepening mistrust.

@nohaggerty.bsky.social in @latimes.com: www.latimes.com/environment/...

After the trauma of the fires, survivors faced worry over contamination, struggled to find testing With limited resources and scarce information, L.A. fire survivors remain worried about contamination and unable to get environmental testing.

After the trauma of the fires, survivors faced worry over contamination, struggled to find testing

One year after dams were torn down, an Indigenous writer sees a healing Klamath River Dams were dismantled on the Klamath River last year. An Indigenous writer reflects on how the river is starting to recover.

Thanks @ianjames.bsky.social for filling in on Boiling Point this week. Wonderful conversation with an Indigenous writer, Yurok Tribe member Amy Bowers Cordalis, about the Klamath River coming back to life now that four dams are gone.

I'll be back next Thursday! www.latimes.com/environment/...

'A cancer on our society' Toxic social media after Kirk shooting brings calls to log off, put down phones As Charlie Kirk's graphic killing sparks online vitriol, elected officials warn of the psychological damage that social platforms pose, and experts say bad actors could exploit the situation.

The misinformation around this whole thing has been so bad.

IMO, it’s a symptom of the fact that social media platforms (and some of the MSM) are still failing to reconcile our immediate want for every detail with our inability to get them www.latimes.com/california/s...

A 'Roomba for the forest' could be SoCal's next wildfire weapon The BurnBot is a a remote-controlled vehicular system that removes flammable brush alongside roads with unprecedented precision.

A 'Roomba for the forest' could be SoCal's next wildfire weapon