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Podcasts
The Big Burn: How To Survive the Age of Wildfires
Graphic of a Southern California mountain range at dusk; a mountain road is seen with emergency vehicles and evacuating cars, far in the distance are lights from a city and a view of an observatory perched on a mountain summit, the fading sunlight setting behind the mountains
(
Ruolin Tu for LAist
)
The Big Burn: How To Survive the Age of Wildfires
As the world enters a new age of wildfires, science reporter Jacob Margolis dives deep into personal stories that illuminate the history of how we got here, why we keep screwing things up, and what we can do to survive and maybe even thrive while the world around us burns.

About the Show

It’s easy to feel like we’re in a dark timeline. Waking up to smoke and flames, staring down a future of burned homes, lost forests, and orange skies. Over the past decade, California has been hit by nine out of ten of its largest fires on record. And even if you don't live in the state, you’re likely impacted by the fire crisis. A combination of climate change and poor policy decisions got us here.

So, is there anything we can do about this new age of devastating wildfires? Science reporter Jacob Margolis goes on a journey to figure out how we got here, why we keep screwing things up, and what we can do to survive and even thrive while the world around us burns. From LAist Studios, the creators of The Big One, this next installment of The Big Disaster series will provide you with a wildfire survival guide that includes not just tangible safety tips — but hope for our future.

Released September 21, 2022

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live, the Strelow Family, and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Funding provided by:

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Episodes
  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 4:11
    Listen • 4:11
    Introducing: The Big Burn Podcast
    As the world enters a new age of wildfires, science reporter Jacob Margolis dives deep into personal stories that illuminate the history of how we got here, why we keep screwing things up, and what we can do to survive and maybe even thrive while the world around us burns.
  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 39:42
    Transcript
    Episode 1
    Listen • 39:42
    The Big Burn: The New Normal
    We examine one particularly pivotal wildfire - the Tubbs fire of 2017.

    Preppi is giving a free emergency kit with any purchase over $100. Go to preppi.com/thebigburn for more information

    Visit betterhelp.com/bigburn today to get 10% off your first month.
    Transcript
The Big Burn only exists with your help
The Big Burn and other LAist Studios podcasts are powered by listeners like you. Help keep vital resources like this strong by making a donation today. Thank you for investing in your community.
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  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 23:30
    Transcript
    Episode 10
    Listen • 23:30
    The Big Burn: What Comes Next?
    We get into our feelings. 

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/bigburn and get on your way to being your best self.

    Transcript
  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 52:54
    Listen • 52:54
    Special Feature: The 2018 Woolsey Fire
    Loss, hope and resilience in the face of one of nature's most terrifying forces: wildfire. We meet a group of surfers called the Point Dume Bombers who stayed in Malibu during the 2018 Woolsey Fire and find out how they survived the most destructive fire in Los Angeles County history.


    This is an episode from Sandcastles, a podcast about home, how we create it, and why we fight so hard for it. Sandcastles is hosted and created by Adriana Cargill. To listen to the full season, visit https://www.wavemakermedia.org/ or find Sandcastles wherever you get your podcasts. 

  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 54:27
    Listen • 54:27
    Special Feature: The 2018 Woolsey Fire
    Why do people stay during wildfires and how did the Wild West culture shape the people who live on this hilly, chaparral-covered coastline? A history of Malibu, the evolution of surf localism, and the genesis of the Point Dume Bombers. We meet the obstinate Queen of Malibu whose determination and love of this land shaped the culture of one of the best surf spots in the world.


    This is an episode from Sandcastles, a podcast about home, how we create it, and why we fight so hard for it. Sandcastles is hosted and created by Adriana Cargill. To listen to the full season, visit https://www.wavemakermedia.org/ or find Sandcastles wherever you get your podcasts. 

  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 52:48
    Listen • 52:48
    LAist Studios Presents: Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes: Part 3
    Host Antonia Cereijido presses former L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez to account for the racist, hurtful comments she made on the secret recording that rocked Los Angeles and led to her resignation.

    CONTENT WARNING: Sensitive subject matter. 

    Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

    Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months!

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 35:12
    Listen • 35:12
    LAist Studios Presents: Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes: Part 4
    In the year since the L.A. City Council tape scandal, a lot has changed.

    Efforts are underway to reform the redistricting process. Nury Martinez and Gil Cedillo are gone from the council. Only Kevin De León remains. Progressive shifts in the council are influencing its policies, and new elected members are working to forge a new way forward in L.A. This is the last episode of Nury & The Secret Tapes.

    Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

    Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in.

    Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 34:37
    Listen • 34:37
    LAist Studios Presents: Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen: Part 1
    Part 1: Sadie and Eddie Martinez, a Latino couple, were falsely accused of attempted kidnapping by a white mom-fluencer in Petaluma, California. LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin tells us about Sadie’s quest to hold her accuser accountable, amid the “Karen phenomenon” when multiple white women were caught in viral videos falsely accusing people of color of crimes.

    Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

    #SadieMartinez #ImperfectParadise #LAistStudios

    Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months!

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 28:31
    Listen • 28:31
    LAist Studios Presents Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen: Part 2
    Part 2: When a Latino couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, is falsely accused by a white woman of attempted kidnapping, their lives are upended as the accusation goes viral. LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin examines how the police’s investigation takes an unexpected turn and how the dark corners of the internet may have influenced the couple’s accuser. 

    CONTENT WARNING: Sensitive subject matter

    Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

    Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months!

    Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

  • The Big Burn text above hills with homes on fire, four palm trees in the middle ground, and a person watching from afar in the foreground
    Listen • 42:31
    Listen • 42:31
    LAist Studios presents: Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen: Part 3
    Part 3:  The white woman who falsely accused a Latino couple of attempting to kidnap her kids faces an investigation and goes on trial after her accusers fight to hold her accountable. Can the same criminal justice system that so-called Karens abuse be used to bring them to justice? LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin reports.

    Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/donate

    #SadieMartinez #ImperfectParadise #LAistStudios

    Go to Hellofresh.com/50imperfect and use code 50imperfect for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months! Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in.

    Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise

    Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

    This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Show More Episodes
Credits
STAFF-HEADSHOT
Jacob Margolis
Science Reporter
Natalie Chudnovsky
Senior Producer
Minju Park
Associate Producer
Meg Cramer
Editor
E. Scott Kelly
Audio Production Engineer
Antonia Cereijido
Host, Imperfect Paradise
Anjuli Sastry Krbechek
Senior Producer
Photograph of Shana Naomi Krochmal
Shana Naomi Krochmal
Vice President, LAist Studios - Podcasting