In addition to the death toll and the financial cost, the fires have claimed essential aspects of American culture.
Los Angeles is the American city most associated with the future. But contrary to popular belief, it also possesses a rich past. And major parts of it are going up in flames along with homes in Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Pasadena, as the L.A. wildfires, already among the most devastating natural events in American history, finally edge toward containment. Losses run to the hundreds of billions. But not every loss can be measured in dollars and cents. Along with their property and, yet more tragically, their lives, the people of Los Angeles have lost some of the best parts of their history and culture.
