LA Fires Ravage Communities, Expose Systemic Flaws

Several wildfires continue to burn in Eaton, Palisades, and other parts of the greater Los Angeles area, incurring a death toll of at least 24 people. Thus far the total area burned has reached nearly 40,000 acres, larger than each of the city limits of San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston and Miami. Over 150,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes, and the Eaton and Palisades fires alone have destroyed over 12,000 structures. As of the time of writing, the Palisades fire is only 14% contained and the Eaton fire is 33% contained. 

Wildfires are highly unusual in Southern California during this time of year, which is typically the rainy season. As the climate crisis intensifies, with 2024 being the hottest year on record, extreme weather patterns are becoming increasingly common. This includes the unprecedented strength of hurricanes Milton and Helene that tore through the southeastern part of the United States in October, devastating communities; as well as the unusual heat and drought that California is experiencing during its rainy season. 

Beyond the climate crisis, the fires in LA have exposed major problems throughout society.

Prisoners forced onto the frontlines for paltry wages

The fires have drawn attention to the exploitation of incarcerated workers, who work some of the most hazardous jobs for paltry wages. California relies on the forced labor of its massive population of prisoners—disproportionately Black and Latino—to control its wildfires. 

The California Department of Corrections (CDCR) reports that over 900 incarcerated firefighters are currently working to put out the fires in the Greater Los Angeles area. For performing some of the most hazardous labor in the country, these prisoners are paid between USD 5.80 and USD 10.24 per day, with an additional USD 1 per hour during emergencies, according to the CDCR. Shifts for “emergencies” can last as long as 24 hours. For comparison, the minimum wage in California is USD 16.50 per hour. 

Despite learning the skills required to fight wildfires, for far less than the average pay of a Los Angeles firefighter (whose annual salaries begin at over USD 85,000), these incarcerated workers are often unable to get firefighting jobs upon release due to their criminal records. 

A 2022 report from the American Civil Liberties Union and the University of Chicago Law School found that “incarcerated workers were more likely to be injured than professional firefighters” and that ​​”at least four incarcerated firefighters have been killed while fighting wildfires, and more than 1,000 required hospital care during a five-year period.”

Insurance companies abandon residents to maximize profit

The disaster in LA has also demonstrated that the insurance industry is incapable of providing the structures necessary to prepare for an increasingly disaster-prone reality. 

The victims of the LA fires, after being faced with the destruction of their property and the utter devastation of their lives, are now contending with being completely abandoned by the insurance companies that are supposed to cover damages and losses in this exact scenario. 

In a live interview conducted last week by KABC-TV outside the Eaton fire, a woman claimed that the company that was providing insurance for the home her parents have lived in for over 75 years had just cancelled her parents’ fire insurance. This woman’s story is shared by millions of Californians who have been abandoned by the insurance industry.

Between 2020 and 2022, insurance companies declined to renew over 2.8 million homeowner policies in California—which includes 531,000 policies in Los Angeles County. While some of these policies were not renewed by homeowners, most were simply canceled by the insurance companies. 

The insurance industry is designed to maximize profit, not to actually protect consumers from disaster. Therefore, it is in the best interests of insurance companies to cancel policies in areas that are at high risk of wildfires. As CNN reports, “insurers in California have been refusing to write new policies in areas they consider to be at high risk for wildfires, which is a large percentage of the state.”

The California insurance debacle highlights the central dilemma of a for-profit insurance system. From healthcare to natural disasters, insurance companies seem committed to abandoning their customers in their most dire moments of need. Many of the victims of last year’s hurricanes in the Appalachian region of the US were also largely left without home insurance after having their houses razed by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Devastation from wildfires in California.

The problem of cancelled policies has forced Californians to turn increasingly to the expensive state-backed California FAIR program, which received no taxpayer support and was intended as a last resort insurer. California FAIR insurance policies have higher premiums than traditional private insurance, but due to the cancellation of private insurance policies leaving Californians stuck with no other options, the demand of California residents for FAIR policies has skyrocketed. 

Disaster accelerates the housing crisis

Some worry that after the dust has settled on the destruction of the LA wildfires, landlords will exploit the situation and increase rents, as displaced homeowners flood the rental market to seek housing. “Both state and city officials need to take action to ensure that this crisis isn’t multiplied by profiteers,” Larry Gross, executive director for the tenant rights group Coalition for Economic Survival, told the Los Angeles Times.

These concerns are reminiscent of what happened to New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina. Mass displacement sped up the process of gentrification after investors bought and raised the prices on damaged buildings, pushing out lower income Black families who were then replaced with new residents.

With the fires still raging, the people of the Los Angeles area have rallied in solidarity to collect donations for displaced people and distribute essential supplies, help remove debris from peoples’ homes, and respond to the needs of the community. The Party for Socialism and Liberation which has been working on the ground with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network in relief efforts, praised the solidarity of the people and condemned the inaction of government officials: “This has been an impressive, inspiring display of people power – meanwhile the City, County, and State officials are stagnant in action. We need emergency services, free health, adequate shelters, closure of non-essential workplaces and more!”