KQED's Forum Jacob Soboroff on Reporting on the Burning of His Hometown, 1 Year Later
Jan 6, 2026
Jacob Soboroff, a senior political reporter and author, shares his gripping experience covering the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in his childhood hometown of Los Angeles. He describes the surreal chaos during evacuations and the emotional weight of witnessing his neighborhood's destruction. Soboroff explores the multiple causes of the fires, including climate change and misinformation, and highlights the inequalities in recovery efforts. He reflects on the importance of people-focused reporting, which has reshaped his approach to covering disasters.
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Personal Witness To Home Burning
- Jacob Soboroff describes standing in Pacific Palisades as his childhood community burned and feeling smoke fill his lungs.
- He says the experience was surreal, deeply personal, and left an indelible version of the story he needed to process in a book.
Evacuation Chaos Echoes 9/11
- Soboroff compares the chaos of evacuations and cars crashing to his memories of 9/11's immediate aftermath.
- He collected other survivors' minute-by-minute accounts to stack against his own and find catharsis while reporting.
Holdover Embers Plus Winds
- The Palisades fire likely rekindled from smoldering embers left by a prior arson-called Lachman Fire.
- Strong mountain-wave Santa Ana winds then turned those embers into a fast-moving firestorm across dry chaparral.
