Los Angeles has always been an ecological impossibility. Perched on the edge of the continent, the city is vulnerable to every conceivable catastrophe: earthquakes, tsunamis, mudslides, and of course, fire. Fifty years ago, Joan Didion wrote that “The city burning is Los Angeles’s deepest image of itself.”

This year, in the dead of winter, that horror was realized yet again. On January 7, five different fires broke out across the city, overwhelming first responders. Fueled by the blistering Santa Ana winds, the blazes tore through the heart of the city, becoming some of the deadliest and most destructive in state history.

For our second episode, we examine fire in California from two angles. First, Don Hankins, a fire ecologist and Plains Miwok cultural practitioner, tells us about the increasing role of Indigenous fire stewardship in California fire management. Second, Rebecca Nolan, a radio producer and California native, shares an audio portrait about growing up with the Santa Ana winds.

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