Deciding to Rebuild After a Fire Is Just the First Step
Four years after the devastating Woolsey fire, Malibu residents who lost everything are still waiting for approvals, and contending with complicated mortgage and insurance processes, underlining what starting over really costs.
Text by
Photos by
To step into Barbara Ferris’s new house, you have to first grapple with what took out the old one. A charred black curve of eucalyptus arcs up the front door—it’s a handle but also a piece of the neighbor’s tree, which exploded in the November 2018 Woolsey wildfire. The fire first sparked 17 miles northeast, then burned all the way here, to the Ferrises’ front door on Point Dume in Malibu.
Try Dwell+ to Continue
Subscribe to Dwell+ to get unlimited access to the very best of Dwell, including a steady stream of subscriber exclusives, ad-free browsing, and more.
Subscribe to Dwell+
You can cancel at any time. Already a Dwell+ subscriber? Sign In
Published
Last Updated