I’ve spent over a year talking with the people who survived the Palisades fire and the people who responded to it. Here’s why I think the discourse around how to prevent the next disaster is still stuck in January 2025. www.latimes.com/environment/...

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...

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

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/...

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/...

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...

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.

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.

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

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/...

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/...

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

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

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

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. My latest w/ Tony & @nohaggerty.bsky.social @latimes.com: www.latimes.com/environment/...

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

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

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/...

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

A ‘Roomba for the forest’ could be SoCal’s next wildfire weapon www.latimes.com/environment/... via @nohaggerty.bsky.social

Thank you @nohaggerty.bsky.social for filling in today with a great Boiling Point. All about John Muir's role in the history of catastrophic Western fire suppression, starting with his famous trip to Yosemite with Teddy Roosevelt: www.latimes.com/environment/...

In SoCal, as here in Marin, tribal descendants of Native tribes with no official federal recognition are beginning to regain some tiny portion of their ancestral lands through nonprofits & fundraising. Incremental, but also deeply meaningful. Story by @nohaggerty.bsky.social

Great to see our work in my hometown paper! Its not logging itself thats the issue, its what happens after -- dense plantations are responsible for elevated fire severity in industrial forests. Excellent story by @nohaggerty.bsky.social. www.latimes.com/environment/...

Important story from @nohaggerty.bsky.social on new wildfire and forestry research: www.latimes.com/environment/...

A Southern California tribe is regaining ancestral land. “To see it come full circle back to us again, it’s very healing.” www.latimes.com/environment/... @nohaggerty.bsky.social @julianayamadaphoto.bsky.social

Private land used for logging is more prone to severe fire than public lands. A new study shows why

'A land that our ancestors walked': L.A. County tribe wins land back for the first time

For the first time in centuries, the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, an LA County-based tribe, has a piece of their ancestral territory. Beautiful story on the land transfer from @nohaggerty.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...

After short reprieve, heat and fire weather to return in SoCal

COVID surges nationwide with highest rates in Southwest as students return to school

In high-tech race to detect fires early, O.C. bets on volunteers with binoculars

Analysis: 'Beyond Awful' is not good.

The race to detect fires early includes high-tech satellites, cameras watched by AI, networks of smoke sensors aaand … some volunteers with binoculars. Despite how amusingly simple it is compared to other solutions, fire experts swear by it. My latest: www.latimes.com/environment/...

Had me at "other scientists say it's a debate"

In a new paper, Harvard researchers argue California’s guidelines for lead contamination in post-fire soil aren’t strict enough. Other scientists say it’s a debate best kept to scientific journals with few implications for fire survivors. Here’s what you should know: www.latimes.com/environment/...

Scientists argue for stricter lead soil contamination standards. What fire survivors should know

'The safest place to be': When fleeing fire is no longer an option

Beautiful special section in today’s LA Times with some thoughtful pieces about how we ought to rethink our relationship with fire. Read it here: www.latimes.com/california/s...

Eighty years ago to the day, the U.S. dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Today, the city is losing its belief in pacifism: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/w...