'We've been through a lot'

>>> 'There's a lot of chaos and delays,' says LA resident.

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A firefighter works as the Hughes fire burns in Castaic, California on 22 January, last year. The wildfire decimated 3 800 hectares and prompted mandatory evacuations just over two weeks after the Eaton and Palisades fires caused widespread destruction across Los Angeles county.

(Getty Images)

Less than a year after watching flames raze his home in the Altadena foothills, Ted Koerner has moved into a new house, one of the first to rebuild in this Los Angeles suburb.

It has been an uphill battle and Koerner is visibly moved as he brings his dog, Daisy, back home.

"We've been through a lot this year," he said.

Altadena was hardest hit by the fires that ravaged parts of the sprawling US metropolis in January 2025. Thousands of homes were destroyed and 19 people died in the town - compared to 12 killed in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighbourhood.

To rebuild his home, Koerner, a 67-year-old head of a security company, had to pay several hundred thousand dollars as his mortgage lender refused to release insurance payouts for months.

Koerner also had to contend with the uncertainties created by the policies of US President Donald Trump.