“Life After Fire” was one of the most challenging stories I have written in my 25 years to Occidental. The January 2025 Southern California wildfires had an impact on the entire region and impacted the Occidental community directly. How could you convey the collective loss within the greater Los Angeles community and the personal loss of so many individuals and families when the scars from the fires had barely begun to form? Interviews with 15 people (11 of whom lost their homes) over the course of roughly a month provided the framework for this story. As I spoke with more people, it became apparent that the fire itself was the least compelling part of the storytelling—a certain repetition kicks in after you have heard more than half a dozen accounts of how the fires spread. I made a decision to get more to the heart of the relationships between the individuals and their homes, so that the homes themselves became characters in the story. I wanted the takeaway for the reader to be one of empathy and optimism—and to find the seeds of hope in the aftermath of an unimaginable tragedy.
From the Judges
Exemplary reporting that complements a moving, emotional subject. The judges praised the variety of personal stories connected to the tragedy and the frank reflections from the subjects.
