California residents and homeowners who have experienced wildfire can face major hurdles during the recovery process, including issues with rebuilding, near-home soil contamination, drinking water safety, and others. There are state and federal programs available to help offset the costs associated with fire preparation and recovery. These programs are available to individuals, communities, non-profits, and businesses. Programs vary from compensation, cost-share, loans, to tax relief. For more information about recovery programs available to you, please contact your local Office of Emergency Services program.

For additional information related to the recovery of other near-home resources, you can reference the resources below.

Backyard Chicken and Egg Safety

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Protect yourself and your flock from contaminants while increasing the likelihood of producing safe, nutritious eggs post-wildfire.

Drinking Water Resource Safety

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Recognize signs of contamination and know how to ensure access to safe and reliable drinking water post-wildfire.

Home Garden Produce and Fruit Tree Safety

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Learn about simple precautions you can take to reduce your exposure to potential contaminants in your garden post-wildfire.

Home Garden Soil Safety

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Assess, test, and remediate your home garden soils to reduce the likelihood of exposure to harmful contaminants post-wildfire.

What can be learned from the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires?

The Fire Network's Community Resiliency and Built Environment Lead, Yana Valachovic, took two trips to the Eaton and Palisades Fires in the weeks following the fires to look for examples where surviving homes withstood the ferocity of the fire and for signs of defensible space and home hardening in action. She used this data gathered from these trips and other post-fire investigations to help develop critical fire mitigation strategies pertinent throughout California and other wildfire-prone areas in the US. To learn more about Valachovic's findings and about other post-fire rebuilding and structure loss-related information, please visit:

• Lessons from 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires factsheet from the UC ANR Fire Network (2026) - English
• Watch our After the Fire: Rebuilding and Structure Loss webinar to learn more about common ways structures are lost during wildfires and ideas for rebuilding communities post-wildfire. This webinar was recorded in February 2026.

Beware of Fraud

Unfortunately, following wildfire, residents can also fall victim to fraudulent schemes such as charity fraud, General tips for avoiding fraud post-fire include:

• Verify the identity of a solicitor. Whether someone claims to represent a charity, an agency, is an insurance adjuster, or is a professional contractor, ask for identification and call the organization/agency to verify if possible. Do not admit anyone into your home unless they can present authentic identification.
• Obtain written estimates from several contractors. Many critical repairs will require the services of a professional contractor, however, you will need to be mindful of professional con artists who may overcharge, take money in advance but not complete the work or perform the work haphazardly. Don’t allow a sales person to rush you into a deal.
• Get all agreements and contracts in writing. For all contracting-related projects, be sure to get all terms of the contract in writing, and get a copy of the signed contract. If you choose to work with an insurance adjuster, get all the agreements in writing. The contract must include a 3-day right to cancel notice.