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"LA FIRESTORM" PRESENTS THE HARROWING HEARTBREAKS AND HEROICS FROM BATTLES AGAINST THE BLAZES THAT BURNED THROUGH LOS ANGELES LIKE A BLOWTORCH
Three-Part Documentary "LA Firestorm" Premieres Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT with All Three Parts Airing Back-to-Back
Residents From the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and Malibu Share Firsthand Stories of Their Life-Changing Decisions and Stunning Personal Footage
(Albuquerque, NM) - Wednesday, December 10, 2025 - REELZ today announced the premiere of LA Firestorm a three-part documentary taking viewers inside the catastrophic January 2025 fires that ravaged Los Angeles. The documentary is told through powerful firsthand stories and shocking footage from people who made life-changing decisions to flee or fight to save friends, their homes and their communities. In the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires 31 lives were lost and more than 16,000 structures were destroyed making them the most devastating fires in world history. Fanned by hurricane-force winds the fires were unprecedented, unimaginable and unrelenting. Transformed by fire the streets of LA became a forge for unlikely heroes. LA Firestorm puts viewers on the frontlines in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and Malibu through riveting minute-by-minute breakdowns and jaw dropping first-person footage. LA Firestorm premieres Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT with all three parts airing back-to-back.
"LA Firestorm is an intense and unfiltered look at the people who faced down extreme adversity and extraordinary circumstances. We're proud to show our viewers their stories of selflessness and bravery," said Steve Cheskin, SVP of Programming at REELZ. "These stories are triumphs of humanity showing people all across LA who never asked to be heroes rising to the occasion to not only save themselves but also the lives of strangers and neighbors alike."
Gary R. Benz, executive producer and CEO of GRB Studios, said, "This was not a story we went looking for. It came to us because it happened to real people, in real neighborhoods, in the middle of a city many of us call home. There are moments that divide a city into 'before' and 'after,' and the January fires were one of them. We felt a responsibility to document these experiences with care and accuracy, and to celebrate the extraordinary courage and resilience of the everyday heroes who faced the unimaginable and kept going."
On January 7, 2025, Santa Ana wind gusts reaching 98 mph violently drove raging infernos in both the Pacific Palisades and the hills above Altadena. Within hours LA was gripped by panic, evacuations and increasingly desperate scenes as the fires devoured entire communities at a staggering pace. As the world watched in horror, wildfires turned neighborhoods, businesses and beloved landmarks into ash but within the chaos people were fighting to survive. To create the three-hour documentary award-winning showrunner, director and writer Tim Prokop interviewed hundreds of residents while seeking out the truths behind stories that made national headlines along with dozens of other stories that had never been told. LA Firestorm presents these stories, including focused looks at the firefights to save precious works at the Getty Villa Museum, along with the people and animals at Zorthian Ranch in the San Gabriel foothills and Walker Ranch in Tuna Canyon.
As residents confronted burned homes and shattered lives a mammoth relief effort vividly illustrated how disasters can also bring out the best in people, cities and communities. Among the efforts seen in LA Firestorm is the work of the Save the Tiles Project, which began when an Altadena resident returned to see that the only remnant of countless homes was a fireplace and hearth decorated with early 20th-century handmade, kiln-fired tiles. Residents rallied to save every tile they could and, in turn, helped spark recovery efforts throughout the neighborhood. LA Firestorm also features expert insights from a retired fire captain and fire chief who detail the daunting logistics of fighting a city-sized fire as well as a look at megafires across the world and lessons learned to better understand and fight fires in the future.
About REELZ - REAL LIVES. REAL STORIES. REAL CELEBRITIES. (R)
REELZ is a leading independent television network that is home to the hit original series On Patrol: Live that follows law enforcement officers live from a diverse mix of police departments and sheriff offices across America. REELZ original programming is focused on real people in revealing stories ranging from the critically acclaimed and award-winning The Kennedys to Autopsy: The Last Hours of... and the network is also home to true crime stories and law enforcement action including Gangsters: America's Most Wanted, COPS, COPS Reloaded and Jail that take place in real communities across America.
REELZ is available in more than 54 million homes on DIRECTV (238), DISH Network (299), Verizon FiOS TV (692HD), AT&T U-verse (799/1799HD) and Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum, Mediacom, Peacock, Philo, Freecast, DIRECTV Stream, Dish Sling, Frndly TV and many other cable systems and major streaming services nationwide including REELZ+. Find REELZ in your area by visiting www.reelz.com. If REELZ is not available, or not in HD, on your cable or telco provider, we encourage viewers to call them and ask for it. Owned by Hubbard Media Group, REELZ is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM with national ad sales based in New York City with offices in Chicago and Los Angeles.
REELZ+ is the network's first ever direct-to-consumer streaming app and subscription service available to subscribers in the United States for $4.99 per month or a special introductory offer of $49.99 per year. REELZ+ is available as a premium subscription on Prime Video and The Roku Channel. The REELZ+ app is also available on Fire TV, Roku Channel Store, iOS, Android, Apple TV, reelzplus.com and soon on other platforms. For viewers who already get REELZ as part of a cable or satellite subscription the REELZ+ app is available at no additional charge through an industry standard authentication process.
REELZ+ provides subscribers the live, linear REELZ network and access to a library full of original documentaries and series including On Patrol: Live, On Patrol: First Shift, Autopsy: The Last Hours of... , Gangsters: America's Most Evil, Breaking the Band, Hollywood Hillbillies and Murder Made Me Famous as well as real life series Jail.
REELZ Famous & Infamous is home to REELZ library programing and is available to hundreds of millions of viewers every month via major streaming FAST channel platforms such as LG Channels, Prime Video, Fire TV, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Samsung TV+, Google TV, Hisense Smart TVs, Vizio and Xumo.
As one of the last truly independent television networks remaining in today's media landscape REELZ has created the Independence Happens Here(R) website to help keep free thought and innovation alive by highlighting the importance of independent businesses. The website can be found at http://IndependenceHappensHere.com.
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