The sun sets over the devastation in the Pacific Palisades.
Credit...Kyle Grillot for The New York Times

When to Report, and When to Help Out

Kellen Browning, a reporter based in San Francisco who has been covering the wildfires, was getting requests from evacuees, and he had a decision to make.

by · NY Times

L.A. Wildfires 

I had been in Pacific Palisades for only a few hours when I started receiving messages from evacuees asking about their homes.

Many residents have not been able to return since the fire swept through, but reporters can enter evacuated zones under California law. I was posting videos of the devastation on social media, and I started receiving a flurry of direct messages on X from people asking me to check on specific properties.

One woman asked about her sister-in-law’s home, saying it would bring her some closure if she knew for sure it was gone. One man asked about his apartment building. Another worried the fire had crept out of the Palisades toward Santa Monica Canyon, endangering his house.

It’s not a typical assignment for a reporter. But I decided to help out. It felt, in some way, like I was doing what reporters should be doing in a crisis: keeping people informed.

So far, I’ve been able to check on about six places. At one point, I drove up a winding street into the hills to check on a property. A few blocks in, a power line blocked the road. It felt like a waste to turn back. So I got out of my car, and walked the rest of the way.

A few homes on the street were still standing, so I thought there was a chance of good news for the person who had reached out to me on social media. But as I rounded a corner, I saw the remains of a home actively on fire, burning quietly. I couldn’t see a street address, so I wasn’t positive it was the right one. I sent a video to the woman who had asked me to check on it — her grandmother had lived there for 60 years.

“Unfortunately, I think it’s gone,” I wrote. “It might be this one burning.”

She confirmed that it was. She was surprised I actually showed up in person — she thought I’d send a drone. She was grateful, and she asked me to be careful.

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