"It felt happy. Then, 24 hours, it was gone.”

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report:

"It felt happy. Then, 24 hours, it was gone.”

Date: January 6, 2026
Host: David Brancaccio

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Episode Overview

This special episode marks the one-year anniversary of the devastating wildfires in California's Altadena region, the most costly wildfires in world history by property value lost. Host David Brancaccio, who himself lost his home in the fires, revisits his old neighborhood to check in with families who lost everything. The episode focuses on their ongoing recovery—financially, emotionally, and communally—centering their voices and lived experiences as they attempt to rebuild from almost total destruction.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Scope of the Wildfire Losses

• 16,000 structures destroyed—primarily homes
• 31 residents died in the fires
• One block in Altadena saw 15 houses as total losses, including Brancaccio’s own home
  (00:31)

Stories of Complete Loss and the Challenge of Starting Over

Vincent & Maria: A Lifetime Up in Smoke

• Vincent and Maria’s families lost every house they'd ever lived in to the fire.
  • Vincent: “How many [houses] would you say are still standing?”
    Vincent: “None of them.” (02:01)
  • Their tally: six homes lost among siblings and parents.
  • Both are long-time community members: Vincent’s worked 45 years at a car dealership, Maria semi-retired and working part-time at Dollar Tree.
• They now live an hour away but are determined to adapt and rebuild.
  • Maria: “The commute... you adapt. What do you do?” (02:45)
• The home they lost was deeply meaningful—a 1600 sq. ft. house, expanded by Vincent and his late brothers—a symbol of family effort.
  • Vincent: “That’s why we kind of want to rebuild.” (03:03)
• Hope to return in 2026, though it’s uncertain.
  • Vincent: “Put hope in one hand and wish in the other and see which one. Yeah, I’m hoping.” (03:18)

Lorianne & Jeff: Grieving the Suddenness

• Lorianne, a retired teacher and former business reporter, and Jeff, a retired school district carpenter, lost their home just one day after celebrating her birthday.
  • Lorianne: “I was walking through the house and I thought, I love my house... it felt happy. And then 24 hours it was gone.” (03:54, 04:01)
• Jeff considers acting as his own general contractor to save money, leveraging his brother's experience as an architect.
  • Jeff: “Our next step is to get blueprints... My brother Dean... knows all the ins and outs of the permit process.” (04:37)
• The challenge of distance: their temporary home is across Los Angeles.

Lacey & Family: Focusing on Stability for Kids

• Lacey, a child safety officer, lost her house shortly after moving in; her family quickly got a different place in Altadena to give her boys some continuity.
  • The children are eager to help plan their new home, centering hopes and normalcy amid upheaval.
  • Lorianne (about Lacey’s sons): “Our oldest son has requested a large Dodger logo on one of his bedroom walls... that sounds manageable.” (05:25)
• Her husband, a civil engineer, leads the family’s “design team” as they plan their future home.

The Struggle to Rebuild & Ongoing Hardships

• The Army Corps of Engineers cleared the worst of the debris, but most families are still navigating permits, insurance, and contractor costs.
  • David Brancaccio: “As we try... to sort out permits and contractors we can afford, at least two burnt out lots... have been sold.” (05:46)
• Some families were forced to sell, their stories to be featured on Marketplace.org later.
• Nonprofits assist with tasks like watering surviving plants until utilities are reconnected.

Markets Update (Skipped in-depth coverage—segment focus: wildfire stories)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Vincent: “None of them. Your family had two houses.” (Referring to homes lost) (02:02)
• Maria: “Six houses lost.” (02:19)
• Lorianne: “It felt happy. And then 24 hours it was gone.” (04:01)
• Vincent (on rebuilding): “I’m hoping to have this done by next year this time. I’m hoping.” (03:18)
• Maria (on adapting): “The commute, this is one thing, but I mean, you adapt. What do you do?” (02:45)
• Lacey’s son (through Lorianne): “Our oldest son has requested a large Dodger logo on one of his bedroom walls...” (05:25)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:31 — Introduction: Fire’s anniversary, scope, and personal stakes for host and neighbors
• 01:42 — Vincent and Maria on losing all their family homes
• 03:03 — Memories of rebuilding, family legacy in the lost home
• 03:32 — Lorianne and Jeff recount the surreal loss right after a happy moment
• 04:51 — Lacey’s family: children’s hopes, starting over, a family-led rebuild
• 05:46 — Brancaccio on clearing lots, help from nonprofits, and what comes next
• 06:29 — Tease to deeper stories and community aftermath, promotion for further coverage

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Conclusion

This episode is an intimate, heartfelt chronicle of a community reeling from, and showing resilience after, a historic natural disaster. The voices of Vincent & Maria, Lorianne & Jeff, and Lacey’s family present an unvarnished look at how it feels to lose “every house you’ve ever lived in”—and the hope, practical hurdles, stubborn optimism, and grief that comes with trying to rebuild not just homes, but lives and neighborhoods.

Listeners are directed to Marketplace.org and sister programs for extended coverage as these stories continue to unfold.

Transcript

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[David Brancaccio]

A California husband and wife who lost every single home they'd ever lived in in the fires one year ago. I'm David Brancaccio in Pasadena. Let's start with my burned street. It's one year since the costliest wildfires in world history in terms of property. 16,000 structures were destroyed, most of them homes. 31 people died this week. I'm looking at the fires focused on check ins with people in Altadena on a single block where 15 houses were total losses. One of those 15 was my house. But this is the story of my neighbors.

[Narrator]

It's the autumn of our fire year. My West Altadena neighbors from the block have come together in a park for tamales, iced tea and commiseration. The fire took away our houses, but it's not going to take away our community without a fight. Some neighbors asked for first names only for this, so they could speak more freely. With insurance and other financial matters in flux, Vincent and Maria were born and raised in this area. It's not just their house at the northwest corner of our street that burned to the ground a year ago. Their list starts with Vincent's first childhood.

[Vincent]

Home on Terrace street, of which now my brother lived there, which he has passed. And that house burned down too.

[David Brancaccio]

You're telling me. When you think about all the houses you've had in Altadena in this area over the years, how many would you say are still standing?

[Vincent]

None of them.

[Narrator]

None?

[Vincent]

None of them. Your family had two houses.

[Maria]

They're gone. My family had two. They're gone. Our house, brother's house, other brother's house.

[Vincent]

My brother's other house. So it's 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

[Maria]

Six houses lost.

[David Brancaccio]

Every house that you've lived in over the years was burnt by this fire.

[Vincent]

Everyone.

[Narrator]

Vincent has worked at the same car dealership for 45 years.

[Maria]

Now I'm semi retired and working at the Dollar Tree just for some fun, you know, just something to do for now.

[Narrator]

They live an hour to the west.

[Maria]

The commute, this is one thing, but I mean, you adapt. What do you do?

[David Brancaccio]

How do you describe the house that you lost? What was it like?

[Vincent]

1600 foot square house, four bedrooms. Didn't start that way.

[Narrator]

In the late 90s, he expanded the back of his house.

[Vincent]

Myself and my older son and my brothers actually did the rebuild. They passed away, so that's why we kind of want to rebuild.

[Narrator]

Could 2026 be the year they get back?

[Vincent]

I'm hoping to have this done by next year this time I'm hoping. Put hope in one hand and wish in the other and see which one. Yeah, I'm hoping.

[Narrator]

Vincent and Maria were three houses up from us. Three down were Lorianne and Jeff. A year ago. They had been away for the holidays.

[David Brancaccio]

But returned in time for a celebration.

[Narrator]

On what turned out to be the day before the fire.

[Lorianne]

And I had taken that day off because it was my birthday and I was walking through the house and I thought, I love my house.

[Narrator]

I felt this too, had my joy in finding a nice little house on this street. Prompted punishment from the fates.

[Lorianne]

There was something very. I don't know, the energy was so good. You know, it's like it felt happy. And then 24 hours it was gone.

[Narrator]

Lorianne's a retired teacher who before that was in my line of work. Business reporter. Jeff is retired from a school district job as maintenance carpenter. He's toying with the idea of being his own general contractor, managing his own.

[Jeff]

Rebuild, which, you know, would probably save us a lot of money, you know, if I wanted to do.

[Narrator]

But logistics, their temporary place is way on the other side of la.

[Jeff]

We haven't crossed that bridge yet, so our next step is to get blueprints. And one thing about my brother Dean, he's been an architecture his own business for 40 years, so he knows all the ins and outs of the permit process.

[Narrator]

My next door neighbor, Lacey, who does child safety for the county, had gifted us with persimmons from her mother's garden when we moved into our house two months and one day before the fire. With her property reduced to nothing, the family managed to get a different house across town in Altadena so her two boys would have something secure at a time of so much chaos. It's the boys agitating to rebuild on the lot they know next to mine. Lacy's husband, Andrew is a civil engineer, and they've also turned designing a new place into a family project.

[Lorianne]

The boys are definitely enjoying it and imagining what they're going to have. And our oldest son has requested a large Dodger logo on one of his bedroom walls and that sounds manageable, so hopefully we can deliver on that.

[David Brancaccio]

Last spring, contractors working for the Army Corps of Engineers cleared our property of wreckage. A single oak and a row of cactus still stand. And until utilities are hooked back up, a non profit has been watering our burgeoning bougainvillea near our driveway to nowhere. And as we try try to sort out permits and contractors we can afford, but at least two burnt out lots on our street have been sold. I'll speak to one neighbor who explains why he had to sell and when you hear his story, you'll know why. That'll [e-mail] later this week if you miss it on the air. And you can hear more of our wildfires at One year coverage on the Half Hour Marketplace with my colleague Kai Rysdal later today. So on many public radio stations, of course, or streamable from marketplace.org. Checking markets 2.5 hours before the opening bell, Dow futures are down 0.2% S&P futures are little changed now. NASDAQ futures up slightly. Crude oil is up for a second day since the US military operation in Venezuela, $58.50 a barrel in New York trading. Now that's still cheap oil given that oil prices are not adjusted for inflation. In Pasadena, California, I'm David Brancaccia with the Marketplace Morning Report from APM American Public Media.

[Marina Reyes]

Hey everyone. You already listened to Marketplace podcasts, so you know that it's important to understand how economic forces shape our lives. And that feels especially important now as we're all trying to make sense of the latest headlines. I'm Marina Reyes, host of Marketplaces this Is Uncomfortable, a show that explores how money bumps up against our relationships, our choices, and in the parts of life we don't always say aloud. And starting January 15th, we are back every single week. New stories, new questions, and the kind of conversations that make you feel less alone in this quickly changing economy. We're tackling questions like should I turn my hobby into a money making side hustle? How do I deal with layoff anxiety? Or what do we owe our parents financially? Don't miss an episode. Subscribe to this is Uncomfortable from Marketplace. Wherever you get your podcasts.