When a disaster strikes, reporters are usually the first to respond…and the last to leave. The LA wildfires that devastated the vibrant city earlier this year served as a stark reminder of the importance of journalism in times of crisis. Lauren Coronado, a reporter for NBC4 Los Angeles, joins Jenn and Kalli this week to discuss what it was like covering the emergency fires in real-time. From the emotional toll to the responsibility of sensitive storytelling, Lauren unpacks the tremendous effort it takes to cover from the frontlines of a crisis.
imPRessions S3 EP 15 Transcript
Kalli: Hey, Jenn!
Jenn: Hey!
Kalli: So, Jenn, have you ever thought about what you would do if you were working during a natural disaster?
Jenn: It’s hard to say. As a millennial, I’ve certainly lived through quite a few of them. But I guess it really depends. I mean, when you mix in adrenaline and so many different factors, it’s hard to say how I, or really, I think anybody would react to the situation. Like, how would somebody, especially when it comes to your work gig, how someone can remain professional and sort of work through something that’s devastating? I’m not sure.
Kalli: It’s something that I’ve been thinking about. And, you know, like you said, there have been quite a few big things that have happened for us. As millennials, we’ve gone through so many things. So, I thought it’d be really interesting to bring on Lauren Coronado. She is actually a reporter at NBC for Los Angeles, and she was reporting live, like during the wildfires a few months ago. So I thought she would be a great guest to come on and tell us kind of about her experience and what that’s like to have to be in such a crazy time and really in the middle of a crisis, but still having to do a job that is important and, you know, sharing vital information and getting people the information and details they need and potentially dangerous situation.
Jenn: Well, this particular topic does hit home to us, you know, as our agency is based and founded in LA, and we have team members there. So I think that this would be a really important topic for us to cover today.
Kalli: My thoughts exactly. So, let’s get to it and have Lauren join us. Today, we’re stepping into the frontline of breaking news to explore what it really means to report in the middle of a crisis. When the LA wildfires broke out, the situation escalated quickly, transforming into a massive, fast-moving emergency that impacted countless lives and communities. Joining us today is Lauren Coronado, reporter for NBC4 Los Angeles, who is on the ground covering the fires in real time. From the moment she got the call to the tough decisions she and her crew had to make under pressure. Lauren brings us inside the experience of reporting in unpredictable, high-stress conditions.
We’ll talk about the emotional toll, the logistical hurdles, and the power of storytelling in moments of chaos. Lauren, thank you so much for being here with us.
Lauren: Of course. Thank you guys for having me.
Jenn: Hi, Lauren. This is a really important topic to us. Like most agencies, we are bicoastal, and we were founded in LA, and we have a lot of our colleagues who were, you know, evacuated. And it was a very, very scary time for everybody in the state of California in those areas. Can you share and tell our listeners a little bit about where you were and sort of what was happening the moment you got called to cover the fires? What was your initial reaction when you realized how serious and widespread the fires were?
Lauren: Yeah, well, as you mentioned, it was so widespread. You just talked about some of the colleagues you had who were impacted. It’s like everybody, you know, knew or knows somebody who’s been impacted. But where I was the day of the fire, the week leading up to the fire, we had been reporting on fire safety, fire preparedness, how to prepare for a fire, because we knew that there were going to be high winds. There was going to be a high fire danger in the area, especially in those at-risk locations. So, I was actually working on a fire safety story on, I guess, the weather. We were dealing with really high winds, and I forgot the term now. It’s a meteorology term. Oh gosh, I want to look it up so I can tell you guys. But we’ve only had so many of these particular it’s a particularly dangerous situation. Warning. So it was just elevated fire danger in terms of weather. And every time we’ve had this kind of warning, there’s been a fire. So we had been really talking about how to prepare, how to have an evacuation kit ready to go, and an emergency plan ready. So that was my story. I happened to be on the Sepulveda Pass, or I guess, along the Sepulveda Pass, and I was with a public information officer for one of the local fire departments, and there were a few spot fires that had popped up, some small brush fires that had popped up. And as I was interviewing him, he told me, “Oh, a fire just started in the Hollywood Hills.” And okay. He said, “Oh, it sounds like they’re going to deploy some firefighters out there.” And then he got word, “Oh, there might be another fire.”
Okay. But he continued on with the interview with the fire out of the Palisades. He said, “You know what? I’m getting word that there’s a fire in the Palisades, and this has the possibility of expanding fast.” He left right after that. He was out of there. And then I told my news team, I said, “Hey, I’m with this public information officer, and he tells me that a fire just sparked in the Palisades with the potential of exponential growth.” And before you know it, I looked over and I can already see a plume of smoke. And we were miles away at this point, and this was right before our 11 a.m.
newscast. So, I was standing by for that. And I thought to myself, “Is that the Palisades Fire that he was just referring to?” It had to be the Palisades fire. I thought, there’s no way. And I looked at my map and I said, yeah, that’s got to be it. And by then, we started deploying our own crews out there to start covering it. My shift is very unique. I’m a morning reporter, so my shift actually was on the tail end, so they kept me around for the remainder of the 11 a.m. show. We went into extended coverage because that fire sparked, and we saw how quickly it was growing. And they let me go after about an hour, and they said, “We’re going to call you in early tomorrow because this is likely going to be a big fire.” In addition, we were still dealing with that weather, that really intense weather, intense winds, dry conditions. So, it was just a perfect storm. It was terrible. So, I went home and I prepared. I grabbed all of my fire gear. We always have our fire get ready to go and whatnot, but I knew that it was going to be a long day the next morning. So, I went home, and I continued to track the fire, and we just saw how quickly it was growing. It was incredible. And that’s to answer your question, that’s where I was when the fire sparked.
Kalli: That’s so crazy that you really kind of actually saw it, you know, as it was starting. It’s just so crazy. And it really, even so, that you were already working on a story that was a fire safety story. So, you just kind of happened to already be involved. And while this was all starting to play out, can you tell us a little bit about what it felt like to be out there, you know, so close to danger while you’re trying to capture the story for your audience? You know, I know you said you had your safety gear. You know, when you were preparing and following the story. But, obviously, that’s very different from being really in it.
Lauren: Yeah, definitely. So my shift starts at 2:30 in the morning on most days. I believe. They called us in at midnight this time around. And when we arrived in the Palisades, or even when we were, I think we were still in Brentwood at this point. But as we were getting closer and closer, and from a distance, you could see the orange glow. But as we were getting closer, it was really dark. It was really eerie. The road was pretty narrow, and we were seeing a lot of embers that had been flying. So that was one of the first things we saw, a lot of embers. It was really dark out there. And then as we approached, as we got closer, it was just home after home on fire, where we were sent, where we were initially deployed to. It was a pretty busy intersection, so we did see a few fire engines there as we continued into the community. There was. There were just so many homes on fire. It was just home after home. And as we continued further in. There weren’t any firefighters. There was such a lack of resources. Oftentimes, when we’re at these fires, when we’re covering fires, even if a community is on fire, we’ve covered other communities that have burned. But this was just so much more ground, so much more ground. And there were areas where there were no firefighters around. And then you feel helpless because you’re watching homes on fire burned to the ground, and then you see another home that’s standing right next door, and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, that home is going to be next. And there aren’t any firefighters in sight.” And we know this. We know that the fire stations are understaffed, but to see it play out and feel so helpless, we were literally looking for hoses to try and water down whichever homes we could. But then there was a water issue too, and some homes. We couldn’t find the hoses, and even then, the lack of water was a problem in the Palisades. And then keep in mind, the Eaton Fire burned shortly after that, too. I happened to be in the Palisades, though. That was my first assignment. But that was a scary situation; it was just an uncontrollable fire. And there was debris. There were embers flying everywhere. The wind was so intense, and it just didn’t feel like there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Jenn: I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you. And, and you kind of talk to you about just the helplessness that you and I’m sure your crew and other reporters that were covering this event face, because, you know, every firemen and firefighters are already short staffed on, on site and you just know what’s coming next. So, I can’t imagine and I’m just glad that you’re okay and that you and your career, you know, we’re fine through it all. And it’s important to kind of document these things from a news perspective to really give people a real idea of what’s happening. It’s heartbreaking as it is for you to kind of stand there and sort of feel like, “Oh, I’m not doing anything.” You are. Just by showing the world like, this is what’s happening. This is climate change. There are a lot of things that need to change in our world, and this is the result of that. And I know I obviously you’re just touched on it, but what were some of the other challenges you faced? Maybe from a logistics standpoint? I know you talked about the emotional side of it, but from a logistics standpoint, like how were you and your crew able to really report on it and kind of put that emotional side behind you, and also do your best to try to, like, not be in the way of the emergency crew. And can you tell us a little bit about how to navigate something so complex logistically?
Lauren: I think one of the biggest challenges logistically was not having service. That was really difficult because our main priority obviously is getting the information out, and we wanted to show people which neighborhoods were impacted. A lot of people left the Palisades not knowing how bad the fire was going to become. A lot of them evacuated with very little of their own items, because they figured they’d be able to go back, and then people were relying on some of their ring cameras or their doorbell cameras, whatever they could. But then those went out. So, some people really didn’t know what was happening. So, there was a big responsibility to be able to show people what was happening. And we didn’t have service for a while. And that was really frustrating because there was that immediacy of this is my responsibility to show people what’s going on, but if you don’t have service, you can’t do that. So that was really difficult for us. So, we were trying to get service, and that’s really on my photographer’s side, where he was trying to make sure that he could get a signal, but it’s really not up to him.
He could only do his best. And then on my side, I was trying to dial into what we call IFB, where I can hear the show and I can talk to the anchors, talk to my producers and directors. And I think one morning, just a morning, I called into that IFB line 100 times because I was so desperate to get on, and there were just times you couldn’t sew, or we would be on air. Then we’d lose our pictures. So that was really hard. And then I think adrenaline really kicks in. When you’re on a story like this, adrenaline is big. But this was impacting so many families, so many people that you know, that your family’s friends know that your friends know everybody’s connected. And it impacted so many people that, when we were reporting, it felt like I was talking to these families. I always try to keep families that I report on, or anybody I report on-I try to be very sensitive about that, and I always assume that people are watching. But in this case, so many families were impacted, and it really felt like you were talking directly to the community. So there was that big emotional impact as well.
Kalli: Yeah. You know, it has to take some type of toll, you know, you’re talking to people as they’re going, literally going through this fire, or whatever their situation is for these types of stories. And, you know, that’s something that you have to obviously, you know, go into it, and in this situation, like, you kind of already knew that there was something going on when you were, you know, when you were talking and getting those reports. So, you know, how do you and your crew prepare mentally and also physically to cover something so unpredictable and so dangerous?
Jenn: And how do you recover from that? Because of the implications afterwards, as you just said, Lauren, the adrenaline is pumping. And I think that happens a lot of times when anybody sort of facing a very dangerous situation. But how did you and your crew deal with that after the fact as well? I’d love to hear what went into that for you.
Lauren: Right. So, I would say when we knew that we were going to be assigned this fire, the Palisades fire, you know, it’s going to be a long shift. I’ve reported in Southern California exclusively. I’ve only reported in Southern California for nearly ten years, and we’ve covered a lot of fires out here. So going into it, you’re going to want to bring food, water. You’re going to be out there for the long haul. Expect to be out there 12 plus hours. So we made sure that we were stocked when it came to water, food, and eyedrops because the fire, the smoke can be so intense. Goggles on. In this case, I knew I was going to need goggles because of the wind. In fact, I tried reporting my first live shot without goggles, and I couldn’t. I could hardly get through the live report. So after that, it was goggles. Of course, you had your fire suit, which was required to wear when you’re in close proximity to fires like that. So those are the things we need to come prepared with. As far as mentally preparing for something like this, it was overwhelming. It was? Yeah. Immediately, the word that comes to mind is overwhelming because you’re surrounded by flames. And something else that comes to mind is just how loud the roar of the fire was. I feel like at most fires you. You hear the fire spark and you hear the crackling, but you don’t hear the roar of the fire like we did here. So that was something to deal with. But mentally, it was just happening so quickly. And I think after the fact is when it really settled the magnitude of the loss, when the sun literally came up, that’s when you were able to see just how many homes were gone. At one point, I remember walking down the blocks. We had viewers who reached out to us asking about the status of their homes, and I was walking block after block, and I couldn’t believe how many homes were gone. Blocks and blocks, we just couldn’t believe it. When I first got there, I asked a firefighter, “How many homes would you say you lost?” And you said, “Oh, you know, I don’t know yet.” And I said, “Okay, a dozen?” And he said, “Oh, far more than a dozen.” And I thought, “Oh my gosh, this is crazy.” And then, it really hit us after our shift, I would say, when we were finally able to decompress a little bit. And like I said, I’ve covered a lot of this stuff, but this just hit a lot differently, where after work I would find myself getting emotional on my way home from work, and that has never really happened to me before, to this capacity at least, or to this extent that hadn’t happened before. So that was interesting. And then my photographer and I talked about our experience together, which definitely helped with coping and talking to my family about it. I’m a big talker, so I think that helps our company. And NBC is really great about offering resources to reporters, any of our staff, our photographers, producers, anybody offering resources to help cope with it, too, as far as mental health goes. I haven’t taken advantage of those resources, but I definitely talk with family and other reporters about what we’re dealing with, and that certainly helps.
Jenn: Wow, just hearing you talk about this. I mean, again, we’re in the media. We have people who were affected; thankfully, nobody lost their homes at our agency or any of our clients, which is great news. But there were a lot of people who did lose their homes, their belongings, you know, possessions that were really important to them. And I thought it was interesting that you said people were actually calling you, asking you to check in on their homes for them. So that must have been really difficult for you to have to kind of already immerse yourself in this very devastating situation, but you have to be the one to tell your audience, essentially, who are looking for you out of desperation, that their homes aren’t there anymore. Were there any other decisions that you had to make in real time that you felt like you were okay with? We have to balance the storytelling here because we really need to show the facts, and we need to show how dire this is. But we also have to balance the sensitivity for those who are directly impacted. So how did you do all of that?
Lauren: Yeah, keeping the community at the forefront was just my goal. And I think what was so challenging, and you reminded me of this is what was so challenging about this, is that it did become so personal, because I had literally had a list of addresses that people wanted me to check, and I would have other colleagues at a different location in the Palisades, and we would just share addresses and we would ask each other, hey, if you’re near this street, check on their home. And that was really interesting because I would call people, and I would say, “Hi, my name is Lauren, I’m with NBC4.”- I was told because they were we were getting a lot of calls to our newsroom, and then the newsroom would tell us, “Hey, if you have time, check on this, this home, if you’re in that area, check on this home.” So, I would call. “Hi, my name is Lauren. I’m with NBC4. I was told you wanted to know the status of your home. I’m here.” And I would be really careful because I didn’t want to deliver the wrong news to these people. So, I would say “I’m at this address. If this is indeed your home, then unfortunately, your home didn’t make it.”
And they would say, “Okay, well, is the pool house still standing?” “No way…I wouldn’t have even known that your home had a pool house.” And then I said, “Uh, did your home have it? Looks like maybe an arch around the front door of the home.” And they’d be like, “It looks like it…” “Yeah. That’s all I see is a frame of an arch. Did you have a window that looks like it might be a window?” I mean, you couldn’t recognize these homes, so that was really difficult to tell people. So, I think that’s what stayed with me a lot.
Kalli: Yeah. It’s really just wild. Like how you can’t even see what’s been there, and you’re trying, you’re going above and beyond your, you know, your job as a reporter to help these people because you are able to be there. You know, that obviously has to change how you look at things. You know, and especially in this case, it’s obviously affected so many people, and, you know, it really even shows what you did like, how resilient the community is in it when it comes to emergency response. So, for you, how did this change your perspective on just the community emergency response? And even as in your role as a journalist, it’s one thing to be sensitive, but to actually be helping the people around you.
Lauren: Yeah. When it comes to just how the community responded, I think that was pretty, pretty incredible. And I will say that every family that I called to tell them that their home was gone. They were so gracious. They, of course, were devastated that their home was gone. But then they would thank me. They were so gracious. They would say, “Thank you so much for calling. Thank you so much for sending photos.” And I thought to myself, “Wow, I just delivered some really devastating news to them, and they somehow find light in thanking me for delivering that news.” So, the community itself was pretty incredible to see just how gracious and kind they were. And after the thick of the fire, the worst of the fire, there were a lot of events that were put together, volunteer events, uh, food drives, and other events to offer support to any of the fire victims. And everyone was so kind, and I couldn’t believe it because they had just gone through such a tragedy. They’re still in the middle of a tragedy, the aftermath of it, and everyone was so wonderful and everyone was so quick to come together and try to help each other out. Even people who lost everything were volunteering, and I was shocked to see that there were even some young community. There were some kids out of Altadena, young girls, and they came up with a page on Instagram to help with fire relief efforts, and it was incredible to see people of all ages organizing and coming together and helping each other out. So that was really incredible. In terms of the emergency response that you just asked about, that was and still is a big problem and pretty controversial. There is a big issue with how the firefighters handled it, or how the fire chief handled the fire, and how she prepared for the fire. So that was a big issue, still a big issue. They’re still talking about what went wrong, what could what could have been done differently. And so in terms of balancing community response, emergency response, I mean, the firefighters did everything they could do with the resources they had at hand. But that is an ongoing issue, and that’s also a big part of the larger story.
Kalli: Right. And I mean, I guess the people too, that you called, I think when a lot of us are in a very scary situation, the unknown is sometimes the hardest part. So, although the news you delivered wasn’t the news that anyone wants to hear, I think it’s easier to hear that news because at least then there’s a path forward, you know? Okay, this is the reality of it. We lost our home. At least now we know what to do, versus we can’t actually think about what’s next until we know for sure whether or not our home was affected. So, I can understand why people would thank you, because you kind of relieve them, at least of that unknown, which can sometimes be just as daunting as the, you know, the negative of it. And I think it’s incredible to you and your crew for still being able to take the time to, because to Kalli’s point, it’s not really your job to call up these homes and these people, these families that are calling into the newsroom to say, “Can you check on my home?”. You could have gone home. You could have said “No,” and you didn’t. And I think that’s really beautiful and amazing of you. And while there are implications about how some of this could have been prevented. I think the first responders and the firefighters were amazing and did everything they could in your line of work. This isn’t something that is new to you. I mean, journalists, reporters, they cover high-pressure, high-risk situations. Do you have any advice for budding journalists or, you know, kids in school who want to get into this line of work? Do you have any advice for them on what they can do if they find themselves in similar situations and have to report on it, and do so with the same grace that you did?
Lauren: Yeah, I think when it comes to a crisis situation, a natural disaster, something like this. As journalists, the more prepared you are out of the gate, the better. So, if you have that go bag, no matter what it is, whether it’s a large earthquake that we’re going to have to cover one day, maybe in our lifetime, maybe not. But, um, anything, whether it’s really intense weather, a horrible fire, an earthquake. Just being prepared is good. So first of all, make sure that you have the proper equipment for everything. Your phone battery is going to die. So, make sure that you have a power pack to use as a backup. Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to use your phone, because you’re going to need it to dial in to the show and to contact your producers and everything. So, making sure that you have adequate power for your phone, making sure that you have the electronics in order. So, the proper ear pieces that you’re going to need, making sure that you have the proper clothes, and equipment. I needed those goggles. I could not have been on air without those goggles. So, there’s that. And then, mentally being prepared, I would say always just keep the community at the forefront. Who is your audience and being sensitive about that, knowing that while you are reporting and you have so many things going on, the facts, you know, the, the, the numbers, how many homes have burned, how the fire may have started all of that, but just keeping the community at the forefront, I think, is what’s going to keep your reporting focused and having them. The center is really what it’s about.
Kalli: That’s so true. And this has been such a deep conversation, really talking about being in the thick of an emergency situation. You know, it’s definitely a different report than your typical breaking news. So, I’m just curious, what types of stories are you passionate about telling? And, just give us a reminder of where our listeners can follow your work.
Lauren: Yeah, that’s a good question. I guess any story that is going to end up benefiting our viewers. So, if there is anything that could lead them to resources, if it’s something that’s going to have a great impact on them, those are the stories I want to tell. If it’s going to be able to make a difference in their lives. You know, they always say being a voice for the voiceless. But truly, if there is a way that we can use our platform to help fight for something they are deserving of, or something that is going to protect them. That’s something that I’m always going to be passionate about. Because you’re right that oftentimes I’m covering breaking news, and there’s this and there’s that. But with the fires, it was so important to share resources. So, if there’s I mean with Covid, sharing the resources, how people can benefit from us as public servants, what can we do to make their lives easier? What can they benefit from? We always want to share resources at the end of the day, and how people can follow my stories. You can watch us on NBC4 if you’re local, if you’re in Southern California, in the Los Angeles, the Greater Los Angeles region, and the surrounding counties. I report for NBC4 in LA, which is from 4 a.m.
to 7 a.m., and then for NBC4 news at 11 a.m.. And we also have our streaming Channels as well. And gosh, we’re all on social media, too. We’re all pretty active on there as well.
Kalli: Thank you so much for sharing that. And, for you know, sharing your experience and everything that you went through, covering breaking news like these wildfires, it’s incredibly intense and unpredictable. So, Lauren, thank you so much for your insights today. You have given us a powerful look at what it means to lead with courage, empathy, and clarity in the face of danger. Your experience really does remind us of the vital role that journalists play, not just in informing the public, but also in honoring the stories of those who are impacted by crisis. So really, thank you again for taking us a little bit behind the scenes and sharing your perspective. And for our listeners, thank you again for joining us. Be sure to follow us on social media for the latest episodes, and don’t hesitate to reach out at any time at impressions@pollackgroup.com. Until next time!
