Climate disaster victims are rebuilding using prefab homes from boxy to bespoke

Climate Climate disaster victims are rebuilding using prefab homes from boxy to bespoke April 27, 20265:00 AM ET Vanessa Romo Jason and Colleen Warnesky are among the dozens of families in Altadena, Calif., who have opted to rebuild with manufactured homes, following the 2025 Eaton Fire. The couple told NPR they were partially movtivated to go with a prefabricated home by safety concerns. "I think that we both felt early on, if there was a way to make it so that we had less to worry about if another fire happened in the future," we'd go with that," Colleen Warnesky said. Vanessa Romo/NPR hide caption toggle caption Vanessa Romo/NPR When the Station Fire roared through the Angeles National Forest in 2009, Colleen and Jason Warnesky could see it from the front porch of their Altadena, Calif., home. Eleven years later, the family witnessed the Bobcat Fire from the same spot as it became one of the largest fires in Los Angeles County history. Their house remained standing after both close calls. So when the Eaton Fire struck more than 3 miles away in January 2025, they were certain they'd again remain unscathed. "We couldn't imagine how it would get from all the way over there to our house," Colleen Warnesky told NPR, as she pointed to the lush mountains, on a recent Sunday afternoon. Sponsor Message Fifteen months later the couple is pacing around the fenced-in dirt lot that was once the site of their 1,400 sq. foot home. So far the land has been cleared of all toxins, and they're waiting on the city to approve drainage permits before construction workers can start pouring the foundation The Warneskys are among the dozens of families in the immediate neighborhood who have opted to rebuild with manufactured homes. They were swayed by a local program launched by city-LAB UCLA, a center founded by the University of California, Los Angeles' Architecture and Urban Design Department, that included a showcase of six prefab housing options and as well as a guide to help naviga...