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Hollywood screenwriter Mark Victor talks openly about how the California wildfires have affected his life in “The Claman Countdown.”
Airbnb is helping California wildfire victims with free temporary housing.
The rental platform said Wednesday that it is partnering with 211 LA, a longtime Los Angeles-area nonprofit, in response to the ongoing fires.
Los Angeles County has been battling wildfires since Tuesday. Five were burning Friday morning, including the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Kenneth Fire, Hurst Fire and Lidia Fire.
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“Stays are completely free for guests and are funded by Airbnb.org and the generosity of Airbnb hosts, many of whom offer their homes for free or at a discount through Airbnb.org,” he explained. Airbnb.
The rental platform said Wednesday that it has partnered with 211 LA, a longtime Los Angeles-area nonprofit, in response to the ongoing fires. (Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
211 LA is identifying and coordinating temporary housing from Airbnb to Airbnbs for eligible people, especially people living in Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Sylmar who have “lost their home or been forced to evacuate” due to the flames, according to the rental platform.
Apartments are seen burning from the Eaton fire in Altadena, California on January 8, 2025. (Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Los Angeles area residents who need Airbnb.org’s temporary housing assistance must complete an intake form with 211 LA that can be accessed on the organization’s website without profit motive
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To be eligible, they must “have been displaced from their physical home due to the recent fires,” live in an evacuation zone, be able to create an Airbnb account if they don’t already have one, and be at least 18, according to the 211 LA website.
Officials have told roughly 130,000 people to evacuate because of the fires, The Associated Press reported.
The largest of the five fires, the 20,438-acre Palisades Fire, has destroyed more than 5,000 buildings, according to at CalFire. It is contained by 6% since Friday morning.
Plumes of smoke are seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025. (DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Homes burn as high winds fuel the Eaton Fire on January 7, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (David McNew/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The Eaton fire, which, like the Palisades fire, has been raging since Tuesday, remained 0 percent contained. It has burned 4,000 buildings.
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The other three fires had varying degrees of containment as of Friday morning, CalFire’s website showed.
At least 10 people have died in the fires.
