(NewsNation) — Survivors of Southern California’s deadly Palisades Fire are marking the one-year anniversary with continued construction, protest posters and litigation against officials.
In January 2025, the wildfire 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.
‘They absolutely let us burn’: Palisades property owner
As the fire’s one-year mark approaches, 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.
Even those who didn’t lose their homes are frustrated and financially depleted. Property owner Fatima Khan told NewsNation she is still displaced and engaged in mammoth insurance battles, 12 months after the fire ripped through her neighborhood.
All the while, Khan must keep up with mortgage payments, HOA dues and five-figure property tax bills — due to what many believe was an avoidable disaster.
“Where were all those fire engines? 7,000 houses burned. If all those fire engines were here, then they didn’t have the water, right? I mean, it’s just a domino effect,” Khan said.
“There was nothing here to save us. They let us burn. They absolutely let us burn,” she added.
Residents, activists put pressure on California leaders
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 “They Let Us Burn” have scheduled a rally for Wednesday morning — around the time the fire broke out. State and local leaders are well aware of public sentiment in the Palisades.
Newsom’s office says he will be in L.A. this week to meet with survivors. Meanwhile, the governor maintains that President Donald Trump has not kept a promise to help Southern California — $34 billion in federal aid.
As for Bass, her campaign for a second term is facing headwinds ahead of an election set for June.
Anger surfaced quickly when word spread that she was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana when the fire broke out, despite extreme red-flag warnings before she left.
About six weeks later, the mayor fired Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley, blaming her for leadership failures in the fire response.
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 of Los Angeles, 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.