Advertise on podcast: The Palisades Fire: A Sandcastles Special

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★★★★★

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194 reviews

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The Palisades Fire swallowed homes and lives, reducing whole communities to smoke and rubble in the wake of this massive wildfire. But behind these horrific headlines, a different sort of history was being written — one most people never heard. Ride alongside a brave group of everyday people sick of watching their city burn. They stayed behind firelines to save the place they call home. The Community Brigade is a first-of-its-kind experimental program training civilians to work alongside professional firefighters. During one of Los Angeles’ darkest hours, they came to their city’s aid. We dive into what that could mean for millions of people across the world who live in high-risk fire zones. As wildfires continue to break records and push past what we imagined possible, this podcast tackles one of today’s most pressing questions: is mass destruction inevitable or can there be a different ending to this story?

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Check latest episodes from The Palisades Fire: A Sandcastles Special podcast

Get the Boys Ready

2026/01/07

As the nation watched in shock and horror as the Palisades Fire brought Los Angeles to its knees, a group of civilians stepped up to defend their home turf. The Community Brigade Program is a first-in-the nation experiment that trains everyday people to work alongside first responders during disasters. Host Adriana Cargill takes us into the heart of Palisades Fire to ride alongside with two childhood friends who risk everything to save the place they call home.

Don’t Call Us Heroes

2026/01/14

Wildfires are a natural reality in Southern California, but is mass destruction an inevitability? Could the Community Brigade Program be a step to unlocking a different kind of future for people living in high-risk fire zones? We look at if the program worked and how it could reshape life with wildfire in Los Angeles and beyond.

The Palisades Fire: A Sandcastles Special Trailer

2025/12/10

In an age of unstoppable wildfires, meet the people finding a new way forward. We take you into the heart of the deadly Palisades Fire with the everyday men and women who stepped forward to defend their community.

Castles Crumble

2023/05/09

Loss, hope, and resilience in the face of one of nature's most terrifying forces: wildfire. We meet a group of surfers called the Point Dume Bombers who stayed in Malibu during the 2018 Woolsey Fire and find out how they survived the most destructive fire in Los Angeles County history.

This Kingdom is Mine

2023/05/09

Why do people stay during wildfires and how did the Wild West culture shape the people who live on this hilly, chaparral-covered coastline? A history of Malibu, the evolution of surf localism, and the genesis of the Point Dume Bombers. We meet the obstinate Queen of Malibu whose determination and love of land shaped the culture of one of the best surf spots in the world.

Under Siege

2023/05/16

Hear the motley new generation of Point Dume Bombers in action as they race to put out hot spots, save homes, get essential supplies through roadblocks, and so much more. They did it all on the fly, but their efforts have inspired a new model of community resilience in the face of ever-worsening wildfires.

Under Siege Part 2

2023/05/23

When Point Dume Bombers are pushed to their limits, will they survive the test? Part 2 of the Under Siege episode chronicles life in the harrowing aftermath of the Woolsey Fire.

Community Brigade

2023/05/30

One of the Point Dume Bombers who lost his home in the Woolsey Fire uses his pain and loss as fuel for action. He embarks on a quest to change the way we live with wildfire. The LA County Fire Department, Malibu City Council members, everyday citizens, and other fire brigades in Malibu join his quest to create a new model of community resilience. Five years later, his relentless drive might just payoff: the Community Brigade Pilot Program is ever so close to becoming a reality.

Sandcastles Season One Trailer

2022/07/14

This is Sandcastles, a podcast about home, how we create it, and why we fight so hard for it. The first season follows a misfit group of surfers who fight tooth and nail to protect their home against the Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles. Dubbed The Point Dume Bombers, they made it all up as they went, but their efforts are now the basis for a new model of community resilience in the face of ever-worsening wildfires.

Podcast reviews

Read The Palisades Fire: A Sandcastles Special podcast reviews

5 out of 5

194 reviews

★★★★★

ari@SF 2026/02/02

Great storytelling

I listened while I was taking photos in pacific palisades and Malibu for my own phot project and that added a wonderful dimension of emotion and detai...

★★★★★

Roberto Patiño 2026/01/31

Very inspiring!

“Finding gifts in loss”: what a powerful message. I loved this special, highly recommended!

★★★★★

schroederphoto 2026/01/17

Rob S.

I work with wildfire preparedness efforts in Northern California and this podcast is spot on with my experience. We are fortunate not have had a serio...

★★★★★

Alexlyle 2026/01/15

An Inspiring Story

Powerful, impact storytelling. Hearing those I look up to and admire so much in those moments and days during and after the fire was heavy but deeply ...

★★★★★

mich1108 2026/01/13

Incredible

Just heart wrenching -as a Palisades fire victim hearing the stories of these firefighters and the volunteer groups is absolutely heroic. All the trau...

★★★★★

MillieVT 2026/01/13

Excellent

Really enjoyed this. Compelling storytelling and appreciate that it hones in on what works (and doesn’t) for a serious issue rather than just gawking ...

★★★★★

Witness the journey 2026/01/12

Listened in one sitting

Great story about the little known Malibu volunteer fire brigade. It was well told; once I started listening I could not stop and felt like I was ther...

★★★★★

Kclevsky 2026/01/09

Really special

This is one of the best podcasts out there. I went to high school in the Palisades but was completely cut off from my community during the fires. This...

★★★★★

ChaCha312 2026/01/07

Important Work, Expertly Crafted

This podcast isn’t just well-crafted and reported, it’s public service journalism that has the power to raise awareness and save lives. A must listen!

★★★★★

Timmyrun 2024/05/27

Terrific storytelling

Great local storytelling about so many universal issues and global themes that are facing humanity. I was captured in the first five minutes. Thanks f...

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