Show overview
The Big Disaster: The Big Burn has been publishing since 2019, and across the 6 years since has built a catalogue of 27 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode. That works out to roughly 15 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a roughly quarterly cadence, with the show now in its 2nd season.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 27 min and 37 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Science show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 1.4 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. The busiest year was 2022, with 11 episodes published. Published by LAist Studios.
From the publisher
From LAist Studios, the creators of The Big One, the second season of The Big Disaster series will provide you with a wildfire survival guide that includes not just tangible safety tips — but hope for our future. As the world enters a new age of wildfires, science reporter Jacob Margolis hosts Season 2: The Big Burn, a deep dive into personal stories that illuminate the history of how we got here, why we keep screwing things up, and what we can do to survive and maybe even thrive while the world around us burns.Season 1: The Big One - When The Big One hits it’ll take under two minutes for more than 10 million Southern Californians to lose internet, power, and a sense of security. Host Jacob Margolis and Producer Misha Euceph take you on a journey to understand what the catastrophic earthquake will mean for Los Angeles, the U.S., and the world. This is what you need to know to survive. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live, the Strelow Family, and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
Latest Episodes
View all 27 episodes
Imperfect Paradise: Is it possible to build a fire-proof house?
Some of the most striking images to come out of the Los Angeles wildfires are photos of a single intact house, surrounded by rubble. We wondered: why do some houses burn down and not others? Is it possible to build a fire-proof house? Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido, correspondent Emily Guerin, and host of the LAist Studios podcast The Big Burn Jacob Margolis, look at what preventative measures you can take to try to save your house in a wildfire. Plus, we meet a man who tried to build a fire-proof house and a woman who lost everything, yet chose to rebuild in exactly the same place. To see photos of the bunker home in Topanga Canyon: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkueCwIrHta/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Eaton Fire Ring Cam footage: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEydaaLvfra/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9c2269c5-a77d-42d6-8333-3c4ad540ccd0 Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety homes on fire video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQIHtMQ_y5k&ab_channel=InsuranceInstituteforBusiness%26HomeSafety%28IBHS%29 This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.
Imperfect Paradise: Why fires happen in Southern California — and how we can prevent them
The same factors that make Los Angeles an appealing place to live, like large urban scale development intertwined with nature, are also the reason we need a fundamentally different approach to fire. Host Antonia Cereijido and science reporter and host of LAist podcast The Big Burn Jacob Margolis dive into what makes Southern California’s ecology unique and what that means for fire management. This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.
Imperfect Paradise: The first five days: Inside LA’s most destructive wildfires
Larry Mantle has been a radio host in Los Angeles for nearly 40 years. Over the course of hosting his live, daily, public affairs call-in show on LAist 89.3, he’s covered the region’s biggest triumphs and tragedies, hearing from officials and Angelenos alike. Covering the Palisades, Eaton, and other current LA wildfires has been especially trying. “I have never seen in such a short period of time this kind of devastation,” said Mantle. Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijdio and AirTalk’s Larry Mantle take us inside the first five days of the wildfires and how Mantle is helping Angelenos process the devastation throughout Southern California on his show. This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.
LA Wildfires Special Coverage with Jacob Margolis: What to expect when recovering fire losses and rebuilding
LAist Science Reporter Jacob Margolis looks at what Angelenos affected by the LA wildfires can expect as they try to rebuild their lives. In this hour, Margolis turns to experts about what to know about housing options, recouping losses, and making homes and neighborhoods more fire resistant. And he also gets insights from a 2017 Tubbs Fire wildfire survivor about the recovery and healing process after losing everything. Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Guests: David Wagner, LAist Housing Reporter Alex Robertson, lawyer with Robertson & Associates, LLP David Shew, former Cal Fire chief, Napa County Fire Administrator Stephanie Pincetl, Professor at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities Melissa Geissinger, a survivor of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa. https://melissageissinger.com/
LA Wildfires Special Coverage with Jacob Margolis
LAist Science Reporter Jacob Margolis puts the wildfires and the devastation throughout Southern California into context and explains the science of the fires. In this hour, Margolis speaks with several experts about what we know about current wildfires burning across region, their resulting air quality questions, how to make sense of fire updates, and hears from former firefighters. Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Guests: Derek Bart, retired LA County Fire Captain Clare Frank, former Cal Fire chief of fire protection and author of the book Burnt: A Memoir of fighting fire Mary Johnson, principal research scientist and manager of the Allergy, Climate, and Exposomics Lab at Harvard Scott Stephens, professor of fire science at UC Berkeley Jill Replogle, LAist Correspondent
Imperfect Paradise: LAist newsroom answers your questions about the fires
Los Angeles County has been ravaged by multiple fires. Thousands of structures were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of Angelenos have evacuated. Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and correspondent Emily Guerin answer your most commonly asked questions about wildfires such as: Why are so many houses built in fire prone areas? How did the fires get so bad? What should I pack in my go bag? Plus, we get wildfire and evacuation advice from our podcast about wildfires, The Big Burn, with Science Reporter Jacob Margolis. This LAist podcast is supported by Amazon Autos. Buying a car used to be a whole day affair. Now, at Amazon Autos, you can shop for a new, used, or certified pre-owned car whenever, wherever. You can browse hundreds of vehicles from top local dealers, all in one place. Amazon.com/autos Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Learn more about the rich traditions and vibrant voices of Native California at https://NewsFromNativeCalifornia.com Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.
S2 Ep 10The Big Burn: What Comes Next?
We get into our feelings. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S2 Ep 9The Big Burn: The Advice Episode
Jacob and retired LA County Fire Captain Derek Bart answer your burning questions. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S2 Ep 8The Big Burn: The Bunker Solution
We check out an unconventional solution to wind-driven fires. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S2 Ep 7The Big Burn: The Southern California Problem
Why prescribed burning won’t solve all of our fire woes. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S2 Ep 6The Big Burn: Taking A Step Back
Digesting what we’ve learned. Plus, how other places in the U.S. have figured out fire management. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S2 Ep 5The Big Burn: The Impediments
We know prescribed burning is a major solution…so why aren’t we doing more of it? Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S2 Ep 4The Big Burn: Setting A Forest On Fire
What it’s like to put good fire to the ground. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S2 Ep 3The Big Burn: How It All Went Wrong
Gold, genocide and colonialism: our path to seeing fire as the enemy. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S2 Ep 2The Big Burn: Saving Our Giant Sequoias
Why trees that are adapted to living with fire are now burning… and how we might save them. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S2 Ep 1The Big Burn: The New Normal
We examine one particularly pivotal wildfire - the Tubbs fire of 2017. Visit www.preppi.com/BigBurn to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
Introducing Season 2: The Big Burn
trailerAs the world enters a new age of wildfires, science reporter Jacob Margolis dives deep into personal stories that illuminate the history of how we got here, why we keep screwing things up, and what we can do to survive and maybe even thrive while the world around us burns. Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S1 Ep 10The Big One: The Wake-up Call
For the first time in a generation, a pair of big earthquakes shook Southern Californians. If you felt it -- or even just heard about it -- you may have some questions. In this episode lead producer, Misha Euceph gets answers from hometown hero, seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones. Visit www.preppi.com/BigOne to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S1 Ep 9The Big One: The Perfect World
We’re back at Union Station, moments before the Big One hits, but this time you, our hero, and the city are prepared. And then back to reality and the team from TBOYSG reflect on the lessons they have learned while making the show. Visit www.preppi.com/BigOne to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!
S1 Ep 8The Big One: The Lessons
In this episode, a rat learns to skateboard and we learn how our brain processes (or doesn't) the idea of a big one. Visit www.preppi.com/BigOne to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!