(NewsNation) — One year after deadly wildfires ravaged Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood, the scars are still visible in parts of California.
The fire was one of two blazes that broke out on Jan. 7, 2025, killing more than 30 people total and destroying more than 17,000 homes and buildings while burning for days in Los Angeles County.
Only eight homes have been rebuilt so far.
Survivors are marking the one-year anniversary with continued construction, protest posters and litigation against officials.
Palisades Fire suspect faces charges
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested in Florida in October and charged with destruction of property by means of fire. He was a former resident of the Pacific Palisades area, authorities said.
A criminal complaint alleges Rinderknecht started a brush fire on Jan. 1, 2025, later dubbed the Lachman Fire.
Authorities said he then hiked up a trail and shot videos of the fire area while repeatedly listening to a song by French rap artist “Josman.” The song’s music video reportedly features objects being set on fire. Rinderknecht called 911 to report the blaze.
Rinderknecht was set to appear in court on Wednesday; however, the hearing was canceled. If convicted, the charge carries a mandatory five-year federal prison sentence and is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
Survivors of Palisades Fire demand answers
In January 2025, the Palisades Fire blazed for several weeks, leaving 12 people dead, nearly 7,000 structures destroyed, and an estimated $18-20 billion in damage.
Now, more than 1,400 building plans have been approved, and many homes are actively under construction in the Los Angeles neighborhood.
But it’s very much a patchwork recovery that’s likely to stretch on for decades, with most lots in the area still empty. An estimated 70% of displaced residents can’t return.
A structure is burned by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) 
The Palisades Fire burns a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent) 
FILE – Firefighters work from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent, File) 
Firefighters watch as water is dropped on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) 
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire around a burned structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent, File) 
A fire burns homes on the Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images) 
An aerial view shows the devastation left by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, file) 
The devastation from the Palisades Fire is shown in an aerial view in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) 
A billboard reads “Theatre Palisades” next to the theater destroyed by the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2025.(AP Photo/Etienne Laurent) 
An aerial view shows the devastation by the Palisades Fire on Jan. 16, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Sorrow and loss have given way to anger and outrage among some residents. Protest signs have been placed in the neighborhood by a new resident group called “They Let Us Burn.”
Organizers blame California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and a number of other state and city agencies for the fire and its aftermath.
Wrongful death lawsuits filed in California
At the close of 2025, families of the victims took the city of Los Angeles, the state of California and others to court by filing more than a dozen wrongful death lawsuits just before the end-of-year deadline.
Organizers of the resident group “They Let Us Burn” scheduled a rally for Wednesday morning, around the time the fire broke out last year.
Newsom’s office says he will be in L.A. this week to meet with survivors. He maintains President Donald Trump has not kept a promise to help Southern California — $34 billion in federal aid.
Documents exclusively obtained by NewsNation outlined what attorneys called “massive failures” by state and local officials that may have contributed to the fire’s prolonged duration.
Those allegations included opting not to predeploy fire crews in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, failing to put the Palisades reservoir into service as planned and keeping power on in the area.
NewsNation’s Meg Hilling, Damita Menezes, Anna Kutz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.