The Associated Press this week reported a stunning fact: Of the 13,000 homes destroyed a year ago in the extraordinary wildfires in and around Los Angeles, fewer than a dozen have been rebuilt.
The massive, fast-moving wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County last January directly killed at least 31 people and sickened many more, torching more than 16,000 structures in total. With an economic toll estimated as high as $275 billion, the 2025 Los Angeles fires may be the costliest disaster in U.S. history.
The flames driven by hurricane-strength Santa Ana winds ignited on top of a severe housing crisis in the region.
“Los Angeles residents faced a tight rental housing market even before these unprecedented wildfires forced thousands from their homes and compounded the problem,” Tomiquia Moss, California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency secretary, said in a press release.
According to the housing research firm Up for Growth, California is short of nearly 840,000 h... Read more
