Liam Dillon, Ben Poston, Doug Smith and Jessica Garrison at the Los Angeles Times:
- More homes have been lost to wildfire in the last eight years than in any other period in California history. The five most destructive from 2017 to 2020 burned down 22,500 houses. Just 8,400 — 38% — have been rebuilt, a Times analysis found.
- Construction rates after the fires varied widely. Almost 80% of the homes destroyed in the 2017 Tubbs fire in Northern California wine country have been rebuilt. By contrast, fewer than 5% of destroyed homes have been rebuilt after the 2020 North Complex fire in rural Butte County.
- Wealthier, flat, suburban areas have tended to rebuild faster than poorer, hilly, rural areas.