Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. I’m a freelance photojournalist and have contributed to The New York Times since 2016. Over the last decade I have documented many scenes for The Times, including homeless encampments in Los Angeles and the people…
If your house was on fire and you only had time to grab a few things, what would you take with you? When you’re an adult, it’s a question you’ve most likely thought about — a list in the back of your mind of Social Security cards, photo albums, family heirlooms. When you’re a kid,…
Despite being in office for less than a month, the Trump administration has already made the United States more exposed to catastrophic wildfires in ways that will be difficult to reverse, current and former federal employees say. On Thursday, the administration fired 3,400 employees from the U.S. Forest Service, which manages 193 million acres of…
Despite being in office for less than a month, the Trump administration has already made the United States more exposed to catastrophic wildfires in ways that will be difficult to reverse, current and former federal employees say. On Thursday, the administration fired 3,400 employees from the U.S. Forest Service, which manages 193 million acres of…
The White House on Sunday released an executive order by President Trump that laid out a plan to exert the federal government’s role in California’s complex water management operations and claimed its authority to overrule state officials. The order, dated Friday, comes after Mr. Trump traveled to the state to see the devastation from wildfires…
If your home was damaged or destroyed by the fires in Los Angeles, the most daunting challenge may still be ahead: Getting your insurance company, or the federal government, to give you the money you’re entitled to receive. That process can be infuriating and baffling, and it comes during what is already an incredibly stressful…
A large fire erupted on Thursday at the Moss Landing battery plant, south of San Jose, Calif., closing Highway 1 and prompting local the authorities to issue evacuation orders for around 2,000 residents. The plant, owned by Vistra Energy, is one of the largest battery storage sites in the world and holds tens of thousands…
Armed with two garden hoses hooked up to a sputtering tap, Matthew Craig battled fire and smoke to save his house from the onslaught of flames that devastated much of Altadena, a once leafy corner of Los Angeles County. The wind felt like dragon’s breath, he said, and “we were all eating smoke.” But even…
After decades of mounting damage from climate-fueled natural disasters, researchers have compiled many misery-filled data sets that trace the economic fallout over weeks, months and years. The fires still burning in Los Angeles are sure to rank among America’s most expensive — but there is no perfect analogue for them, making it difficult to forecast…
As Los Angeles burned for days on end, horrifying the nation, scientists made an announcement on Friday that could help explain the deadly conflagration: 2024 was the hottest year in recorded history. With temperatures rising around the globe and the oceans unusually warm, scientists are warning that the world has entered a dangerous new era…
