The LA Fires

Our Thoughts and Actions

Our thoughts and hopes are with the people of Los Angeles, and especially our Passive House Community members who are affected by the ongoing fires. We are thinking of the first responders who are doing what they can to contain the blazes. We are thinking of the residents who are sheltering in place amidst power outages. We are thinking of the toxic smoke that people across the region will be breathing in. We are thinking of the families who are losing their homes.

Yesterday, we wrote about two dangerous snowstorms hitting the country this week. Today, we write about fires that are consuming homes and areas that have otherwise been “safe” for decades. Both of these phenomena are exacerbated by climate change, and by the emissions from the building industry and others that we are working to reduce.

The disasters of this week are a snapshot within the larger picture of the dangers we face. There are no areas of our country or world that are fully immune to our changing climate. This, more than anything, is a call to evaluate our building practices and plan for what’s to come. For more information on how to build with resilience against wildfires, blizzards, and other extreme weather in mind, please read our 2023 report, Safe at Home.

We continue to offer our heartfelt support to those affected by this week’s extreme weather. More than that, we offer our actions. We will continue to push for common sense policies that create safer housing, more resilient communities, and reduced emissions. We will continue to advocate for building codes that keep everyone safer, healthier, and more protected. We hope you will join us by finding your Passive House community, and designing with Passive House.