Putting pen to paper after fire nightmare

This was one of those weeks when the horror of January in Los Angeles came roaring back to life.

- BY SHELBY GRAD

A PAGE from a book at a home that burned in the Palisades fire. Written accounts of the fires are emerging.

(CHRISTINA HOUSE Los Angeles Times)

We learned about the Uber driver who federal authorities allege ended a New Year's Eve of driving people around by intentionally starting what would become the Palisades fire all while listening to dark French rap music.

■ L.A. City Hall released a report highlighting systemic breakdowns that hampered the Palisades firefight.

■ It came on the heels of a similar L.A. County report on the Eaton fire that officials initially hailed as a major step forward but then declared woefully inadequate after Altadena residents railed about its lack of basic accountability.

But lately, my mind has been captivated by a different kind of L.A. firestorm writing: A crop of first-person accounts that offered new ways of understanding both what was lost and how we move forward. Here are a few I'd recommend:

Joshuah Bearman grew up in Altadena in the 1980s. His piece, titled “Mark’s House Is Gone. Heather's House Is Gone. Eddie’s House Is Gone,” is less about Jan. 7 and its aftermath but what it was like to grow up in Altadena in that era. The parental conflicts. Proximity to some of the best and weirdest minds in science. Love. Loss. The San Gabriels. When KROQ was cool. The zenith of the Southern California middle class. He ends with this obituary: