Airbnb Offers Free Housing to LA Wildfire Victims

Airbnb says it is offering free impermanent housing to residents of the Los Angeles country affected by the wildfires presently raging done Southern California. The institution has partnered with 211 LA, a non-profit telephone enactment that offers section accusation services successful aggregate languages. Right now, they are focused connected helping residents from the Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Sylmar areas. Airbnb says it whitethorn grow to enactment different areas.

Airbnb volition enactment with 211 LA to place residents successful request of impermanent lodging and link them to accommodations offered done Airbnb.org, the company’s non-profit limb which provides escaped stays done funds from the institution and hosts who connection up their homes during catastrophe situations. The institution says much than 1.6 cardinal nights of exigency stays person been provided to astir 250,000 people.

The home-sharing level received immoderate disapproval connected Twitter/X aft a idiosyncratic posted that Airbnb had refused to rebook her into caller accommodations further distant from the wildfire. The institution told Gizmodo that the pistillate had made her booking connected the day of January 7, aft the wildfire had already begun, which is wherefore it had initially refused to contented a refund. The institution has since remedied the concern arsenic a goodwill gesture.

Thank you Airbnb pic.twitter.com/4BeL26L8Yj

— Ana Mostarac (@anammostarac) January 8, 2025

So far, astatine slightest two fatalities person been reported and astatine slightest 1,000 structures person been destroyed arsenic 3 large fires proceed to blaze crossed the Los Angeles area. Videos connected societal media picture a devastating country of affluent areas including Pacific Palisades successful ruins.