Eighteen months after the Palisades and Eaton fires, some families are still trying to rebuild their lives while fighting with insurers over whether their smoke-damaged homes are safe to live in. Chauncy and Libby Godwin say they remain displaced from their Altadena home after evacuating during the Eaton Fire in January 2025.

Dispute Over Home Safety

The couple says their home is unsafe because of smoke damage and alleges that their insurer, Farmers Insurance, has pressured them to move back in. Testing commissioned by the family found “confirmation of persistent carcinogenic and toxigenic residues” inside the house and recommended “full interior demolition down to the studs” — work estimated to cost more than $1 million.

The Godwins say Farmers rejected that recommendation after its own testing suggested the house could mostly be cleaned. The insurer instead paid the family about $80,000 for cleaning and repairs, they said. Farmers said it could not comment on individual claims but said in a statement that its “goal is to pay claims quickly and fairly, taking into account the circumstances of the loss and the terms of the policy.”

Financial Burden

The Godwins are among the 38% of Los Angeles fire survivors who report they have already run out of, or soon will run out of, additional living expenses (ALE), or insurance money that helps pay for temporary housing after a loss. Without that money, the couple says they are left paying both the mortgage on their damaged home and rent for temporary housing.

Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.