Investigating causes of SoCal wildfires, rent price gouging

A staircase of a burned structure during the Eaton fire is pictured, in Altadena, California, U.S., January 13, 2025. Photo by REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni.

Was the Palisades Fire caused by embers left over from another extinguished fire? Was Eaton the fault of power lines? It may take months before investigators know.

National and international firefighters have been coming to SoCal to help fight the wildfires devastating the region. How are they deployed? 

These wildfires have displaced tens of thousands of Southern Californians, many of them suddenly entering LA’s brutal, competitive, and already crowded rental market.

Writer Caitlin Flanagan’s friendship with Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney profoundly shaped her life and her Catholic faith. She writes about their bond in The Atlantic.