And Hell Followed: Digging out in the Palisades Fire Burn Zone

My coverage of the cleanup of the Palisades Fire burn zone spanned the critical period from early March to mid-July 2025. Central to the project are photos of and conversations with the men—almost exclusively Latino and from the industrial communities on the south and east sides of LA—who carried out the dangerous work of clearing almost a million tons of debris and toxic ash. Media coverage of the Palisades Fire’s aftermath understandably has centered on the fire’s devastating impact on residents, alongside stories about firefighters, scientists, politicians and real estate speculators. With all that, the faces and voices of the cleanup workers themselves have had little visibility—an omission I hope this project will help rebalance. The men pictured here endured hellish working conditions with bravery and a commitment to helping their wealthier neighbors put their lives back together. Their time in the burn zone almost certainly will carry longterm consequences for their physical and emotional health. And Hell Followed offers an urgent, intimate perspective on the human cost of fire recovery—against a backdrop of worsening climate disaster and political persecution of immigrant communities across the U.S.