In January 2025, when high winds fueled the Palisades and Eaton fires and smaller fires regularly ignited around the greater Los Angeles metro area, 18 million people went through a collective trauma, wondering, “Will we have to evacuate next? Will we lose our home? Our pets?” In the wake of the second and third most destructive wildfires in California history, Afterburn explores the psychological fallout of this natural disaster. How have Angelenos processed the destruction of their neighborhoods? How are those with homes that were spared handling survivor’s guilt? How do we recover? To answer these questions, Afterburn is a conversation with Angelenos affected by the fires, as well as experts on psychology, disasters and animal behavior. Renowned disaster psychologist Dr. George Everly of Johns Hopkins University gives a rare on-camera interview on the psychology of those affected. Cat behavior expert and host of My Cat from Hell, Jackson Galaxy, provides insight into how our animal family members and neighbors are affected in times of crisis and how L.A. answered the call to care for displaced pets. In the wake of a devastating disaster, the road to recovery for people, animals, and communities begins with processing the psychological Afterburn.