Marketplace Morning Report

Episode: After LA fires, struggles for the homes still standing
Air Date: January 8, 2026
Host: David Brancaccio

Episode Overview

In this episode, David Brancaccio reports from Pasadena, California, exploring the overlooked struggles of residents whose homes survived last year’s devastating urban firestorm. While much attention centers on homes that were lost, the stories here focus on the ten homeowners on a single block whose houses remained standing amidst the destruction of their neighbors’, but who now face complex, expensive, and emotionally exhausting efforts to make their homes safe again.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Challenges for Survivors: The "Standing Homes"

• Survival Amidst Destruction
  David recounts that on his block in Altadena, “15 houses burned up, but 10 are still there, potentially habitable, but not before knowing what and how to clean” (01:21-01:33).
• Survivors not only must remediate toxic contamination but also face protracted insurance battles and out-of-pocket costs.

2. Health and Safety Fears

• Ellen's Ordeal:
  Ellen, a public health project manager and the street’s block captain, describes the ongoing stress:

  "It feels like I have a second full time job that I'm not being paid for and I did not ask for and I don't have the background." — Ellen (01:33-01:45)

• She expresses concerns about toxic contamination:

  "I don't want to go home and worry that I'm going to end up with cancer or respiratory illness. But I ache in my heart to go home." — Ellen (02:22-02:29)

• Ellen has personally paid for testing, revealing disturbing results:

  "Asbestos, lead, beryllium, cyanide, lead, asbestos, cadmium... Chromium, manganese, lithium. I may be missing a heavy metal in there somewhere." — Ellen, prompted by David (02:37-03:02)

• Insurance companies, according to Ellen, often dismiss the need for such testing, assuming cleaning is sufficient:

  “The insurance people told her no testing was necessary before professional cleaning because the soot’s visible and you'll know if it's clean by eyeballing it.” — David Brancaccio (03:05-03:16)

3. The Unique Nature of Urban Fire Damage

• David and Ellen note that, unlike forest fires, these fires released a composition of toxins from everyday household objects, vehicles, and infrastructure.

• “This smoke contains a suburb with all of its stuff and its junk... All those contaminants... have become part of the smoke and gotten into the house.” — Ellen (03:18-03:32)

4. Age of Homes and Fire Survival

• Analysis of California wildfire data reveals:

  “The biggest predictor: the newer the house, the better its chances. My house was 99 years old.” — David Brancaccio (03:32-04:07)

5. Financial and Insurance Hurdles

• Terrica’s Story:
  Terrica, a county child support officer, describes spending her own savings for cleanup:

  “The house is still there. I paid out of pocket to have it clean and then I'll fight with the insurance company later to get back what I can.” — Terrica (04:13-04:22)
  “I got it out of savings and thank God I had it, but I do want to get it back.” — Terrica (04:25-04:33)

• She details the thorough post-fire remediation she paid for:

  "They removed the insulation, cleaned out the attic, replaced the insulation, ran machines in the house for maybe three, four days." — Terrica (04:39-04:48) “New couches, new carpets, new mattresses, new bedding.” (04:51-04:56)

• Terrica’s mother, also a survivor, must fight to reclaim promised insurance payouts due to the involvement of her mortgage lender:

  “We got the money, but it went to the mortgage company and then he's got to send in his information so we can get the money.” — Mary/Terrica’s mom (05:19-05:28)

6. Emotional Toll and Living in Limbo

• Rebecca and Chris’ Experience:
  As artists, they lack expertise for handling the insurance process. Their home remains untouched months after the fire:

  “It's exactly as the day we left it." — Rebecca (05:28-05:35)
  "If you were to pick it up [pizza plate], you would just see, you know, a circle of white inside and then soot all around it. It's a mess. It smells terrible. I know it's contaminated. I'm scared to go in without a mask." — Rebecca (05:42-06:00)

• Their insurance was canceled after a broker left the industry, resulting in even more uncertainty:

  “It's not clear the cancellation is legal, but it’s a living nightmare.” — David Brancaccio (06:00-06:20) “Now, it’s like a time capsule. … I just want to clean it and to just get past the insurance process. I want to get past that.” — Chris (06:20-06:36)

7. Broader Implications and Next Steps

• The episode previews further explorations into personal finance tips for survivors and rebuilding with fire resilience.
• David also notes President Trump is expected to push for restrictions on institutional investors buying single family homes, signaling possible federal intervention in housing affordability (06:36-07:30).

8. Market Update

• Quick rundown of market conditions:

  “Markets Dow S & P and NASDAQ futures are all down in the 2-3/10 of a percent range. The 10 year interest rate up 4.16%.” — David Brancaccio (07:30-07:37)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It feels like I have a second full time job that I'm not being paid for and I did not ask for…” — Ellen (01:33-01:45)
• “I don’t have a chemistry background… I ache in my heart to go home.” — Ellen (02:05-02:29)
• “I paid out of pocket to have it clean and then I’ll fight with the insurance company later to get back what I can.” — Terrica (04:13-04:22)
• “It’s exactly as the day we left it.” — Rebecca (05:31-05:35)
• “I just want to clean it and to just get past the insurance process. I want to get past that.” — Chris (06:33-06:36)

Important Timestamps

• 00:31 — David Brancaccio introduces the Altadena block and the struggle of survivors
• 01:33 — Ellen’s “second full time job” begins
• 02:22 — Fear for health and longing for home
• 03:05 — Insurance company dismisses need for testing
• 04:13 — Terrica’s story of remediation and insurance fight
• 05:28 — Rebecca and Chris’s snapshot of suspended life
• 06:00 — Insurance nightmare and inability to move forward
• 06:36 onwards — Broader context: personal finance tips, rebuilding, and policy developments
• 07:30 — Market updates and episode sign-off

Tone and Language

The episode maintains a mixture of personal, empathetic storytelling and clear-eyed economic reportage, augmented by firsthand accounts. Residents’ voices swing between exhaustion, frustration, and determination, capturing the ongoing toll of disaster recovery even for those whose homes “survived.”

This summary covers the episode’s full exploration of the complexities faced by so-called “lucky” survivors—a nuanced counterpoint to the more visible devastation of total home loss.