On the Pacific Coast Highway, near the beaches of Malibu, the sign announcing a “21-mile scenic route” no longer delivers on its promise. While the charred debris from beachside restaurants burned down during the January 2025 wildfires has been cleared away, dozens of construction vehicles, noisy mobile generators, and miles of fencing mar the view of the ocean. Behind these barricades, concrete posts that once anchored cafés, ice cream parlors, and restaurants remain half-buried, giving the remnants the appearance of ancient ruins. One year ago today, on January 7, 2025, wildfires that began on the outskirts of Los Angeles spread into the urban area, causing 31 deaths, 100,000 evacuations, and the destruction of more than 16,000 buildings. Since the tragedy, investigations have multiplied in an attempt to clarify who was responsible for the disasters that made that day one of the most expensive in the history of the American West Coast, with insurance claims alone amounting to several tens of billions of dollars and economic damage likely ten times higher, spread out over several years. …