Last month’s fires were the most destructive in the city’s history.

To Live and Die in L.A.

As residents reckon with the wildfires, some experts question whether Los Angeles is a modern-day Pompeii—and a harbinger of American decline

By Jonathan Margolis

Sometimes it seems like homo sapiens are hardwired to disregard impending doom.

Even having bought a home we only semi-jokingly call Glugglug House because it is on the River Thames—and even though we know there is a flooding risk—my partner and I have spent enormous amounts over the past two years making it our forever home.