The Destructive Legacy of California’s Zombie Fires NYT | Top Stories Shawn Hubler and Heather Knight 12 October 2025 at 22:49 Blazes that firefighters thought had died but then later came roaring back to life have become increasingly common, heightening scrutiny of how first-responders put out wildfires. © Max Whittaker for The New York TimesFirefighters sorting through ash and debris to look for hot spots left by the Palisades fire in Malibu, Calif., in January.