Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster

by Jacob Soboroff

From the NBC News correspondent and New York Times bestselling author of Separated, a gripping and revelatory account of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires, which he covered on the ground as an LA native. 

On the morning of January 7, 2025, a message pinged the phone of Jacob Soboroff, a national correspondent for NBC News. “Big Palisades fire. We are evacuating,” his brother texted within minutes of the blaze engulfing the hillside behind the home where he and his pregnant wife were living. “Really bad.” An attached photo showed a huge black plume rising from behind the house, an umbrella of smoke towering over everything they owned. Jacob rushed to the office of the bureau chief.

“I should go. I grew up in the Palisades.”

Soon he was on the front line of the Palisades fire—his first live report of what would turn out to be weeks covering unimaginable destruction, from the Palisades to Altadena. In the days to come, Soboroff appeared across the networks of NBC News as Los Angeles was ablaze, met with displaced residents and workers, and pressed Governor Gavin Newsom in an interview on Meet the Press. But no story Soboroff has covered at home or abroad—the trauma of family separation at the border, the displacement of the war in Ukraine, the collapse of order in Haiti—could have prepared him for reporting live as the hallmarks of his childhood were engulfed in flames around him while his hometown burned to the ground.

But for Soboroff, questions remained after the fires were what had he just witnessed? How could it have happened? Is it inevitable something like it will happen again? This set Soboroff off on months of reporting – with firefighters, fire victims, political leaders, academics, earth scientists, wildlife biologists, meteorologists and more – that made him keenly aware of how the misfortune of seeing his past carbonize was also a form of time travel into the dystopian world his children will inhabit. This is because the 2025 LA fires were not an isolated tragedy, but rather they are a harbinger--"the fire of the future," in the words of one senior emergency-management official.

Firestorm is the story of the costliest natural disaster in American history, the people it affected and the deeply personal connection to one journalist covering it. It is a love letter to Los Angeles, a yearning to understand the fires, and why America’s new age of disaster we are living through portends that – without a reckoning of how Los Angeles burned – there is more yet, and worse, to come.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Climate Change, Environment, Audiobook, Nature

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Traci Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was mixed here. This book has a bit of an identity crisis. Is it memoir or reporting? It’s at its best as memoir. Less clear when it’s reporting. I think it needed more time and stronger editorial pass to pull it all together. Soboroffs emotion, love of LA, and curiosity about people all come through super well. The politics stuff is less focused.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

January 2025 saw something like fourteen wildfires in total in the state of California. Some of these fires burned for approximately thirty days! Two of the fires were talked about more than the others, the Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire. The destruction and devastation caused by these fires ranks high on the list of the most destructive fires that California has ever seen. One of the fires was deliberately set by an arsonist, and subsequent fires were a result of rekindling of that fire with contributing factors like drought and the Santa Ana Winds.

These fires raised many questions about the need for improved infrastructure and resources and also raised questions about the competency of the federal government. DT is known for his late-night rants on social media where he screams in caps lock about things he has no idea about. His echo chamber of followers repost and repeat, all of them talking out the side of their necks and trying their best to call everyone names and create conspiracy theories. The lack of useful federal government plans, assistance, and input is alarming. In recent months, it has grown more alarming. There were a lot of allegations out about the fighting of these fires (of which the "leaders" of this country know nothing about), the water (which simply could not keep up with the amount of things burning and spraying into hurricane force winds), the fire engines (which did need routine maintenance and upgrades), the grounding of air support (hurricane force winds) and other things. Someone who is not a follower of a cult or invested in a political party can use their common sense to see that there were certainly issues and challenges in fighting fourteen fires for a month straight. Not everything is a conspiracy. People really need to cut the shit. People lost homes, businesses, and lives.

I forgot that I pre-ordered this book on Audible. I got the notification today and listened to it while I was at work. It was about a six hour long listen. The narration was good. The content was a mixture of enthralling, factual, educational, and enraging. I had just finished a book about Qanon this morning that I will be reviewing next, and I have to say the misinformation and disinformation spewed forth by DT and his minions was more tiresome than usual. I found some of his comments especially grating and offensive, as I grew up in a family of firemen and first responders. (It is equally grating that they support this man and have subscribed to this conspiratorial way of thinking when this group shits on their profession, but I DIGRESS.) I thought the author of this book was well spoken and I appreciated the reporting of facts instead of heading down a conspiracy rabbit hole.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book goes through the events of the 2025 LA fires, and is framed around the view point of a reporter from the community being burnt down, along with some other side povs (e.g., firemen, a couple who happened to be out of town during the events, and the governor).

The story does bounce around a lot between being a third person overview of the events and then a zoom in of the actions and emotions of a single individual. It also ends somewhat abruptly and at points it did get a bit repetitive, but overall it was a great listen.

I think it is also a book that might be difficult in the beginning for people not from CA to understand some of the roads or towns that aren’t well known to those in other parts of the country (or world). Which is ofc classic Californian behavior. But the ending is very well written. It presents a robust argument that this event is a templete for future natural disasters in the next few decades (unless we do something, talk to you Donny J Dipshit). Also on that note, this book really paints G. Newsom in a positive light and makes D. Trump and E. Musk look like idiots/jackasses….which checks out.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the book was interesting in a reporting on the ground way, the political commentary and the way the author glorified Newsome and Biden and took every opportunity to make a diss at Trump, felt extremely out of place if the goal of the book was to tell about the events of the few days he was on the ground. I could tell what the tone of the book would be when the author introduced himself as an MSNBC reporter and told about his previous book (gag). Anyway, it’s clear this book was commissioned to begin the propagandized history to be recorded of the fires in California in 2025.

[Danielle Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook: slow start for someone that doesn’t understand the local geography. Picked up nicely. Very informative account of the fire and aftermath from a reporter on the ground. Mostly reporting but with a personal touch?

[Cory Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has so much potential, but it is clear it was rushed through the publication process to release it at the one year anniversary of the devastating fires. It would have benefited from at least one more round of drafting/editing. As is, I am not sure what the book is supposed to be. Is it a memoir? Is it reporting? I think it shines in parts that read more like a memoir. The author’s love for his hometown is evident and I would have enjoyed this more if he stayed in that space.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a native Angeleno, I was riveted to this book as I was riveted to the television last January, watching my beloved city burn down. Jacob Soboroff is a reporter for NBC News who was assigned to report on the fires in Los Angeles. In addition, he grew up in Pacific Palisades, and watching and reporting on the incineration of his childhood home, neighborhood, and memories made his reporting raw and emotional, with a lot of information about people, places, and history that others without his background could not have provided. This book provides both an encapsulation and expansion of that reporting, emotions and all, with a lot of additional information about the fires, people impacted by them, the science of fire management, and the politics of Los Angeles and the US that are inextricably linked to the response and narrative about the fire. I loved this book in part because like the author I was familiar with all the places he described and many of the people. I share his sadness at the destruction of our city and the issues that are impairing discovery of facts related to the fire’s outbreak and the rebuilding effort. This book is an excellent work of journalism and a memoir There is more to come, however, as the investigation into the fire’s causes continues, as does the rebuilding effort which currently appears to be hampered by the broken Los Angeles permitting and building process that officials promised to fix. I was hoping for some reporting on how Rick Caruso saved portions of Palisades Village and how the Getty Villa escaped the flames. I suspect both were due to private firefighting forces- another chapter on deployment of those types of resources would have been interesting, particularly as Soboroff did explore in part the ongoing story of Los Angeles as a contrast between rich and poor coexisting in what most of the time is paradise- until disaster strikes. Still a really great book that earns 5 stars from me because its topic is so personal.

[Michelle Reissig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book may have been written too soon to fulfill its promise.

I had hoped for a book that begins to tackle the many contributors to this disaster - climate change, development patterns & infrastructure in fire-prone areas, insurance, disaster readiness & relief, and yes, even water policy in Southern California. To be fair, the author makes brief mention to all of these topics, and they are topics that are nuanced and expansive - but that is exactly why it would have taken longer than a few months to do them any justice.

What this book is instead is a drawn out account the author’s movements and reporting while covering the fires. When I say drawn out, I mean full verbatim transcripts of his on-air coverage, texts in various group chats, which roads he took to get places, and on and on. Most of it felt like if you asked a student to double or triple the word count on what is otherwise a compelling retelling of reporting during a disaster.

He does weave accounts from a handful of firefighters, residents, business owners, and his own experience as someone that grew up in the Palisades- but even these failed to capture the full human emotional impact that I know the author experienced and was trying to convey, and that I’ve seen in other coverage. If he had made telling these human stories the focus of the book rather than a supplement to a blow-by-blow of his reporting movements, I think it would have had a greater impact.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not impressed. Although the info about the fires was good, you have read page after page of the author puffing up his reporting of the fires and all the important people he knows.
This book was not a book about the fires. It is a book about a reporter, who just happens to report on the fires.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A personal account from ground level of the Palisades fires of 2024 by a journalist who grew up in the neighborhoods.

[Beth Hammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What makes Firestorm compelling isn’t just its careful accounting of events, statistics, or the grim day-by-day progression, but the emotional clarity that underpins the reporting. Soboroff’s connection to Pacific Palisades - and the loss of his childhood home and community - gives the book a depth and gravity that elevates it beyond standard disaster journalism. The grief is present, but so is restraint, which makes the impact stronger.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC.

[Caitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

How many times can the author let us know that he’s from the area?

[Jeff Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choked up more than once devouring this exceptional first-person and reported narrative about the devastating LA fires. Jacob Soboroff grew up in Pacific Palisades and his love for our shared home of Los Angeles is a deep and beautiful streak running through this propulsive book. A remarkable work. Highly recommend.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Mariner Books for sharing this ARC. I seem to have a fascination with fire stories, whether it’s a voyeuristic trait I have or general interest in natural disasters, I’m not sure, but I’ve read quite a few similarly themed books. Given that, this upcoming book on the 2025 California fires had something special. Beyond just a recitation of the facts and numbers and play by play of how the days unfolded, there was a true heart to the author’s approach. Because he is from Pacific Palisades, the real emotion of losing his childhood home and town really came through. I found myself choked up with emotion at times and could easily imagine my own sadness and shock in a similar situation. So I found this a cut above the usual, and would recommend it.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

My parents house, the house I grew up in and still my house in the summers home from college, burned down in the Cedar Fire in 2003. My anxiety is triggered by news cover of wildfires, the smell and sight of smoke, ashy orange fire skies, even the Santa Ana winds are enough to make my heart race. Mercifully, the sky was blue and entirely smoke free in the pocket of North Hollywood where I live. The only “news coverage” I got was from my friends and family across the country calling to ask if I was okay. I wanted to read this book to learn about the world changing event my city went through entirely without me. In that regard, the book is informative and well written. The interviews are the Gavin Newsom are good…I’m realizing rn that first hand accounts from Karen Bass, the fire chief, or anyone in local government are notably absent. Those perspectives and opinions would have added a lot to the narrative.

What was really missing for me was the in between moments of Jacob’s experience. How he felt, what he was thinking in between appearances on all the NBC shows. The book is an accurate well reported timeline of events, but it’s missing emotional context from author and important participants.

[Steve Peifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve spent lots of time trying to figure out why this book was such a let down. I’m interested in books about fires, the author grew up in a neighborhood devastated by last year’s disaster, and he is a reporter with experience in communications, so this should had been a slam dunk.

It wasn’t.

At one point, he makes an excellent point that the people who work in service jobs in affluent areas affected by the fire are just as much a part of the community as homeowners. They are probably ignored in many stories, and it is smart reporting.

Except.

He compares a restaurant worker to Chef Jose Andres, who started a world wide relief organization because they are both all about feeding people. They aren’t remotely the same and it’s such a weird analogy.

It’s crappy writing. And there is a lot of it here. Because he grew up in an area devastated by the fire, you figure he will have unique insights.

He doesn’t. He never misses a chance to point out where he worshiped, ate burgers and so many items of non interest. Maybe a better writer could have made it work, but boy howdy he doesn’t.

I have a friend who lost her house during the fires. It was such a huge fire, with dire implications for the future.

It should have been a much better book.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacob Soboroff has done an up-close and personal report of the largest disaster in U.S. history. Jacob is reporter for MSNBC. This book is a nonfiction account of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Specifically, the Palisades and Eaton fires that ravaged Los Angeles in early 2025, destroying thousands of homes. It also is basically one man's (Jacob)grieving the loss of his childhood home and neighborhood, over and over.

I felt the book struggles to balance personal memoir with objective, investigative journalism, suggesting it needed more time for editing to harmonize these two. There was a lot of detail, some good and sometimes too much. I found the analysis of broader, long-term policy issues—such as climate change and infrastructure management—to be limited in scope. The book seemed rushed and by the time it ended nothing was said about homes that were destroyed. The Palisades is a beautiful community, and it deserves better than what's happened so far. Soboroff's love of LA comes through quite strong. I appreciated the reporting not so much memoir.

[Wendy Fontaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting play-by-play of the fires in Palisades and Altadena from a reporter on the scene. This was a very detailed read of the logistics of the fire response. It lacks the big picture context that I anticipated, which makes sense maybe because Jacob is a reporter-he reports and observes. Still, I would have liked more contextual information throughout the book, rather than the smaller amount that comes at the end.
It's also a little padded with transcripts and documentation, which probably has a lot to do with putting together a whole book in the very short time span of seven months.
All that said, Jacob is very good at reflecting the emotions of the people affected by the fires, which is ultimately what a good reporter is supposed to do.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mix of the personal and professional makes this a riveting story of one of the worst fires in American history. The author, an NBC News correspondent provides an incredible account of covering the fires, which burned his childhood home in the Palisades, along with approximately 16,000 other structures. Soboroff recounts subsisting on Clif bars and Coke Zero, texting his family that he was okay, while reporting live on the fate of their beloved childhood institutions. Their high school: partially burned. Their synagogue: still standing. Their favorite pizza place: reduced to a smoldering pile. His brother and sister-in-law’s home: destroyed.
Highly recommended!

[Stephanie Shock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of books about various disasters, including hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis, and the paradise fire, so maybe that is why I started this book a little confused as to why he kept mentioning himself, his homes, his neighborhood, his synagogue. It didn’t feel like it fit. But as the book went on it was clear it was more of a telling of his own experience with the fire and the reporting on it than a timeline and telling of the details and the events of the fire. It was still an interesting read and worth picking up, but I guess I was expecting more of fire book and less of a memoir.

[Ula Tardigrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detailed account of the latest of a series of devastating fires that occurred in North America in recent years, written by a journalist who was raised in Palisades. He touchingly describes the surreal experience of reporting on the destruction of his own neighborhood. If you want to know more about this particular fire, that’s a book for you. However, it does not provide much more context about wildfires in general, which to me was a bit disappointing.

Thanks to the publisher, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Katie N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, fantastic book.
My only complaint is after also reading separated, I notice he does this thing where he introduces a topic/fact/person and then chapters later, reintroduces it as though the audience forgot? A bit frustrating/unnecessary to be repeated to.
I also wish there was a little more focus on global warming and how this is going to become a more common issue as we have severe weather patterns and hotter summers with drier brush.
As an Angelino, you could tell how much these fires affected him as they did all of us!

[Katarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Audiobook via Audible*

Wow. Jacob Soboroff has done it again. With excellent, emotional and straightforward reporting, recall, interviews and descriptions that bring us viewers and readers along with him as he recalls experiencing his hometown burn while reporting on live TV - as well as doing a post-mortem of the fire and looking at all the compounding issues and factors that went into it. His interviews and timelines received by those who responded to the fire and those who oversee/saw policy and emergency response give such a well rounded telling of what took place in LA a year ago.

[ryan ⚡︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 stars

for the record, i truly do not think this is bad journalistic storytelling. what soboroff achieved here is writing in excruciating detail of the fires that engulfed parts of pacific palisades and altadena. being born and raised angeleno, it's clear that his love for LA is evident all throughout. the biggest flaw is that i have a hard time classifying this book as. its attempt to be part-memoir, part-journalism didn't feel clear to me when this book got announced. and this may have to do with the poor editorial choices in soboroff's storytelling that missed the mark for me.

[Meredith Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What feels like fascinating fictional storytelling, is unfortunately the real-life harrowing retelling of a disaster that is shockingly just one year old. I genuinely agree with the polished journalist that more inquiry and ink could be spent on this issue, especially the ongoing complex recovery portion. Many issues converged to create this disaster and more may not entirely avoidable, but they can be mitigated. It is an incredibly tall order in today’s age.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 star book, in my opinion. The research is solid and the author does an admirable job of weaving together a hair-raising timeline with many disparate locations, people, and events into an understandable narrative that demonstrates America's new age of disaster. It's also utterly heartbreaking to read at times. I used Google maps to take me visually to the many locations Soboroff reports from.

[Debra Erikson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book covered most of the events of the Palisades fires, but left much in-depth information out.
He reiterated the loss of the home he was raised in, ad nauseum, and the "wonderful" (elite) community of Palisades that was burned to the ground. He referred to the political clash between Newsom and Trump to get aide and relief to the area but did not get into the details. I thought this book would be more comprehensive. I was disappointed.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo

Thank you for sharing the ground level truths about the fires, and how misinformation fuels disastrous consequences for everyone involved. It’s unfortunate that some of those in power twist the truth for their own egotistical advancement and totally disregard anyone who doesn’t agree with them. The welfare of the powerful seems to be all that matters. I sincerely hope better decisions are made going forward.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacob Soboroff offers a minute-by-minute accounting of the fires, sharing his own direct experience as a resident of the Palisades. Also included are accounts of several first responders and local community members. A sub plot demonstrates how politics becomes a distraction from the real danger faced by the people of Los Angeles during this terrible disaster.

[Louise Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journalist Jacob Soboroff, a native of Los Angeles, reported on the Los Angeles fires that took place in January, 2025. This book covers the devastation of those fires as well as a review of what happens and lessons learned. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author. The vivid descriptions allows the reader to a glimpse of what happened.