LOS ANGELES (AP) — In an empty lot in Altadena, California, the ground is covered by a soft blanket of small white wildflowers. But before the blooms, there was toxic ash and melted metal, as well as the remnants of family heirlooms and a home that once stood. One year after the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles, communities are starting to rebuild. Some lucky residents already have constructed new homes.
The two fires that broke out Jan. 7, 2025, killed more than 30 people and destroyed over 17,000 homes and buildings in Los Angeles County. The Palisades Fire scorched LA’s coastal Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The Eaton Fire razed the town of Altadena northeast of LA. Many hope to create something new as they mourn what was lost.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
The remains of an oceanfront home that burned in the Palisades Fire, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, sits on the shore of Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The remains of an oceanfront home that burned in the Palisades Fire, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, sits on the shore of Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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An aerial view shows cleared lots and rebuilding in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, months after the Palisades Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
An aerial view shows cleared lots and rebuilding in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, months after the Palisades Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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A rendering hangs on a fence in front of a home under construction in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, months after the Palisades Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A rendering hangs on a fence in front of a home under construction in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, months after the Palisades Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Homes being rebuilt after being destroyed by the Palisades Fire stand next to cleared lots, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Homes being rebuilt after being destroyed by the Palisades Fire stand next to cleared lots, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Cleared lots sit next to homes being rebuilt in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, months after the Palisades Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Cleared lots sit next to homes being rebuilt in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, months after the Palisades Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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A design of Scott Quigley’s home, as it will look after it is rebuilt, is projected on a screen on the property where his home destroyed in the Palisades Fire once stood in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A design of Scott Quigley’s home, as it will look after it is rebuilt, is projected on a screen on the property where his home destroyed in the Palisades Fire once stood in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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A design of Dave Skibinski’s new home, as it will look after it is rebuilt, is projected on a screen on the property where his home destroyed in the Eaton Fire once stood, in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A design of Dave Skibinski’s new home, as it will look after it is rebuilt, is projected on a screen on the property where his home destroyed in the Eaton Fire once stood, in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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A design of Angela and Pete Mitchell’s new home, as it will look after it is rebuilt, is projected on a screen on the property where their home destroyed in the Eaton Fire once stood, in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A design of Angela and Pete Mitchell’s new home, as it will look after it is rebuilt, is projected on a screen on the property where their home destroyed in the Eaton Fire once stood, in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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A sign reading “Black Homes Matter” stands on a lawn next to a cleared lot in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, months after the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A sign reading “Black Homes Matter” stands on a lawn next to a cleared lot in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, months after the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Carolyn Hove, who returned home in July after evacuating during the Eaton Fire, hugs her dog Abby while taking a break from gardening, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Carolyn Hove, who returned home in July after evacuating during the Eaton Fire, hugs her dog Abby while taking a break from gardening, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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A construction worker hammers on the roof of a home being rebuilt, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Altadena, Calif., months after the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A construction worker hammers on the roof of a home being rebuilt, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Altadena, Calif., months after the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Ellaird Bailey, who lives in an RV on the property where his home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, looks at building plans, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Ellaird Bailey, who lives in an RV on the property where his home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, looks at building plans, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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A worker in protective gear walks across a street while cleaning up a home that survived the Eaton Fire, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A worker in protective gear walks across a street while cleaning up a home that survived the Eaton Fire, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Ellaird Bailey kisses the forehead of his wife Charlotte after Los Angeles County approved their rebuilding plans, months after the Eaton Fire, as they visit their neighbor Ted Koerner whose home was rebuilt in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Ellaird Bailey kisses the forehead of his wife Charlotte after Los Angeles County approved their rebuilding plans, months after the Eaton Fire, as they visit their neighbor Ted Koerner whose home was rebuilt in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Wildflowers bloom where a home once stood in Altadena, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, months after the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Wildflowers bloom where a home once stood in Altadena, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, months after the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Ellaird Bailey and his wife Charlotte live inside their RV parked on their property, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Altadena, Calif., after their home was burned by the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Ellaird Bailey and his wife Charlotte live inside their RV parked on their property, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Altadena, Calif., after their home was burned by the Eaton Fire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Ted Koerner, behind, hugs his neighbor Ellaird Bailey after Los Angeles County approved Bailey’s rebuilding plans in Altadena, Calif., as they stand at Koerner’s rebuilt home, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Ted Koerner, behind, hugs his neighbor Ellaird Bailey after Los Angeles County approved Bailey’s rebuilding plans in Altadena, Calif., as they stand at Koerner’s rebuilt home, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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