Brianna Sacks

Los Angeles, CA

Brianna explores how climate change is transforming the United States through violent storms, intense heat, widespread wildfires, and other forms of extreme weather. She deploys to disaster zones and does enterprise reporting on the preparations for, responses to and aftermaths of catastrophic events.
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Latest from Brianna Sacks

Southern California’s Bridge Fire now the largest active fire in the state

Officials are bracing for further spread of the Bridge Fire in Angeles National Forest.

September 11, 2024
A visitor to Griffith Park in Los Angeles takes photos Tuesday as smoke from the Bridge Fire burning in Angeles National Forest billows on the horizon.

Facebook is blocking emergency warnings as wildfires roar through West

The Post has collected more than 40 examples of Facebook removing emergency-related posts during at least 20 wildfires since June.

September 10, 2024
Noel Anderson watches the Airport Fire in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., on Monday.

Maui wildfire survivors say insurers are failing to clean up toxic damage to their homes

A year after west Maui’s deadly wildfire, Lahaina families are stuck in smoke damaged homes they say are making them sick because they can’t pay to fix them. 

September 5, 2024

As wildfire risks intensify, California insurance rates keep rising

Allstate will increase rates by an average of 34.1 percent as part of the state’s deal with the industry to expand coverage to homeowners in risky areas.

August 29, 2024
A home burns as the Dixie Fire jumps Highway 395, south of Janesville, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2021.

Another small earthquake hits Los Angeles, rattling residents

The 4.4-magnitude earthquake is the latest to strike the region, making some Angelenos wonder what could happen next.

August 12, 2024
A 4.4-magnitude earthquake hit northeast Los Angeles on Monday.

Why the Park Fire exploded so quickly

The speed at which the Park Fire consumed an enormous area has stunned even those who live and breathe wildfire, and who have watched other historic blazes rip through the region.

July 28, 2024
A column of smoke from the Park Fire rises over Highway 32 near Forest Ranch, Calif., on Saturday.

Park Fire’s rapid growth puts it among largest in California history

The fast-moving wildfire — which officials suspect was the result of arson — was stoked by extreme heat and a dense, dry terrain.

July 27, 2024
Flames from the Park Fire whip across Highway 36 on Friday near Paynes Creek in unincorporated Tehama County, Calif.

What we know about Ronnie Stout, suspect in California’s Park Fire

Butte County authorities say a witness saw Stout push a burning car down a ravine prior to the ignition of what is now California’s biggest fire of the year.

July 27, 2024
An animal runs through grass while fleeing flames as the Park Fire tears through the Cohasset community in Butte County, Calif., on Thursday.

Thompson Fire continues to burn in Northern California, forcing evacuations

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Butte County blaze had grown to more than 3,500 acres north of Oroville. Some 28,000 people were under evacuation orders.

July 3, 2024

Months after Maui fires, residents report troubling health problems

A new report details respiratory ailments, mental health conditions and lack of access to medical care following the deadly fire in Lahaina in August.

May 15, 2024
Kailini Ross holds a box of albuterol, a medication to prevent shortness of breath, in Lahaina, Hawaii on May 2. Ross has been suffering from multiple respiratory issues since last year’s wildfire.