LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — Recent wildfires have left a devastating mark on the Los Angeles area, displacing families and exacerbating an already dire housing crisis.

Rents in the region are on the up, with accusations of short-term price gouging by landlords making national headlines. While experts say rents increasing by as much as 20% is unlikely, KTLA 5 consumer reporter David Lazarus noted that the upward trend is undeniable and adds significant stress for displaced residents.

Lazarus spoke with Marco Giacoletti, a housing expert at the University of Southern California, to better understand the crisis.

One potential solution to help with the ongoing housing crisis involves revisiting zoning laws to permit higher-density housing in working-class neighborhoods like Altadena, which was ravaged by the Eaton Fire.

“Rather than putting up single-family residences, we could allow developers to build duplexes and apartments,” Lazarus said.

And while this could increase housing availability, Lazarus says it would undoubtedly “change the character of many neighborhoods,” and would be a tough sell for longtime residents.

“I think it would be highly controversial,” Giacoletti said. “So it’s hard to say whether this is going to happen or not.”

Lazarus pointed out that most major cities globally have adopted higher-density housing to address similar challenges, avoiding long commutes and keeping residents closer to urban centers.

But for residents in Pasadena, Altadena, Malibu and Pacific Palisades, distance from the city center may have been a selling point for laying roots there, not a detriment.

“As with the rest of the world, at some point, L.A. is going to have to perhaps consider these steps, that these neighborhoods, these very homey neighborhoods that we’ve enjoyed for decades now, might not be in step with the times,” he said.

The fires have also renewed calls for a rent freeze in Los Angeles County.

While consumer advocates argue such measures are necessary, Giacoletti warned of potential unintended consequences in the form of landlords taking their properties off the marketplace altogether, further worsening the housing crunch.

For those who lost their homes, rebuilding poses significant hurdles, Lazarus said.

“In Altadena, there’s a number of people who are uninsured. They’re just off the playing field at this point,” Lazarus explained. Even for those with insurance, Laz said, overages and delays could prolong the process for years. “Some estimates say it could take five years or more for many of these residents to rebuild.”

Compounding the difficulty are offers from predatory buyers and lowball settlement offers from insurers. Lazarus says to be very skeptical of any cash offer you might receive.

“If you get such an offer, not saying walk away from it, but get a second opinion first,” Lazarus advised. He emphasized the importance of consulting real estate professionals or other insurers to understand the long-term value of properties.

“The value of the structure, if your house is burned down, is zero,” Lazarus said. “The value of the underlying land can still be profound,” accounting for up to two-thirds of the overall value, according to the Los Angeles County Assessor.

As Los Angeles faces an uncertain future, the path to recovery will require innovative solutions, resilience, and adaptability in the wake of the crisis.

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – More than 22,000 first responders are working to extinguish the deadly Palisades and Eaton wildfires while reacting quickly to new fires that emerge as Santa Ana winds return to Southern California.

Below is the latest information on the major fires and key resources to assist wildfire victims and evacuees.

• Palisades Fire: Acres: 23,713 | Containment: 17% | Structures Lost: 10,000 (est.)
• Eaton Fire: Acres: 14,117 | Containment: 35% | Structures Lost: 7,000 (est.)
• Key Maps: Damage Assessments | Palisades Fire 3D | Eaton Fire 3D

For wildfire victims

Crews have worked non-stop for nearly a week straight now in their battle with the deadly Eaton Fire, which was 33% contained at 14,117 acres as of Monday night.

When the fire first broke out on the night of Jan. 7, thousands of people were forced to evacuate in a rush as the flames, some as tall as 100 feet, ripped through the Altadena region. Firefighters rapidly put up a heroic effort to save as many lives, homes and land as they could.

Although thousands of homes have since been lost, one neighborhood is largely intact thanks to the fighting efforts of a group of U.S. Forest Service firefighters based in the Angeles National Forest.

That same U.S. Forest Service team on Monday provided an inside look at how they managed to save homes they were defending that first night near Kinclair Drive in Pasadena.

In the footage provided by the crew, the intimidating blaze was both seen and heard – but it did not seem to phase the brave firefighters as they adamantly organized their attack.

“Jonathan, careful, we can’t run out of water,” shouted a firefighter, giving orders to his crew over the loud raging of the massive flames merely feet away.

“When we first arrived on scene, we were faced with walls of flames 50 to 100 feet, wind gusts in excess of 50 miles an hour,” said Robert Robledo, a U.S. Forest Service captain. “I’ve been fighting fire for 21 years and this is probably the worst I’ve ever seen the wind gusts, the ember casts and flame impingement on structures.”

Members of this U.S. Forest Service wildfire unit were first on scene and worked tirelessly for the next 36 hours straight before taking a brief rest, and then attacking flames on another front on Mount Wilson.

“We’re coming to a chaotic scene and we’re trying to bring calmness to everything,” team member Eduardo Cerna told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe. “As we’re coming in, we’re noticing that a lot of people are rushing out.”

As the firefight continues amid fears of strong winds rebuilding – these crews are determined to keep moving forward.

“Our main goal is to try to make sure public safety, life and property are good, and then that way we can safely do our job without having to worry about life, and then we can save as many homes as possible,” said Cerna.

An electrical transmission tower in Eaton Canyon is under investigation as the possible cause of the deadly fire that bears its name.

The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department announced the repopulation of communities impacted by the Eaton Fire effective as of 3 p.m. on Monday.

The areas are still under evacuation warnings include:

• inside the unincorporated L.A. County area of the Kinneloa Mesa Community
• South of Heights Road to New York Drive and East of Outpost Lane to Sierra Madre Villa Avenue

Places still closed to residents include the remaining areas of the unincorporated community of Altadena.