The Aftermath of the January 2025 Fires
- The January 2025 firestorm in Altadena and the Palisades left a devastating landscape with a total absence of sound, where even birds were gone, and the only presence was a small crew of journalists 10s.
- Immersive journalism, which uses emerging technologies to create new stories that represent the world in a fully dimensional way, was used to cover the fires, allowing people to experience stories with their whole body, not just their eyes 2m6s.
The Team and Their Mission
- As the founding director of the narrative and emerging media program at Arizona State University, a team of colleagues and graduate students, including Ashley Bush Horn and Mary Mat, were mobilized to cover the fires using specialized equipment, such as 3D printed parts and artificial intelligence 2m6s.
- The team faced grueling work conditions, including toxic air, heat, and hazardous materials, requiring them to wear hazmat suits, heavy boots, and double-filtered masks, while using equipment designed by Mike Corona, a photojournalist and former general manager for Reuters 4m30s.
Documenting the Destruction
- The journalists scanned various objects and scenes, including fallen angels, Buddhas, melted trash cans, Teslas, and surf wagons, using their cameras like paintbrushes to capture every angle and detail 6m20s.
- The experience was emotionally challenging, especially for the journalist, who had personal connections to the affected neighborhoods and homes, including those of friends and family members, such as a cello teacher and a horseback riding instructor 8m40s.
- The team worked tirelessly, filming until the light was gone every day, and even used their headlights to capture scenes, such as a car sliding down a mountain, and took breaks to process their emotions and the devastation around them 10m10s.
Personal and Emotional Impact
- The experience was emotionally challenging, especially for the journalist, who had personal connections to the affected neighborhoods and homes, including those of friends and family members, such as a cello teacher and a horseback riding instructor 8m40s.
- The team worked tirelessly, filming until the light was gone every day, and even used their headlights to capture scenes, such as a car sliding down a mountain, and took breaks to process their emotions and the devastation around them 10m10s.
Unexpected Survivors and Discoveries
- The car of a person affected by the LA fires was found to be intact, with only ashes on top, and the owner was able to drive it away, which was an extraordinary sight 10s.
- The Bank of America building, which housed safe deposit boxes containing family heirlooms and important documents, including Holocaust papers, was thought to have been destroyed, but it was later discovered that everything was safe underneath the rubble 42s.
Collaboration and Positive Outcomes
- Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, used material from the work being done to help those impacted by the fires, which was a positive outcome for the journalist involved 1m6s.
Personal Motivation and Loss
- The journalist had a personal motivation for doing the work, having experienced a fire at their home studio a year and a half earlier, where they lost everything, including projects, equipment, photos, and family memories 2m6s.
- Despite the devastating loss, some personal items survived the fire, including a photo from college, a love letter from the journalist's husband, and a program card signed by Mark Hamill, which was found intact despite being a flammable and fragile piece of paper 3m15s.
Advocacy and Rebuilding
- The journalist used scans of their home to battle with the insurance company, which had initially refused to pay for certain items, and this experience motivated them to help others by scanning their homes 4m30s.
- The journalist is now calling on people to come together to support those affected by the fires and to rebuild Los Angeles in a better and more resilient way, using the concept of "the force" as a symbol of the love and resilience within people 6m40s.
