Rebuilding stronger: Looking back at the 2025 California wildfires

By Emma Peterson. 

14 months after devastating fires swept through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas, communities are building back with stronger, more fire-resilient materials. 

Recently, Karen Edwards sat down with Tim Brown of Westlake Royal Building Products and Josh Smith of J.N. Davis Roofing for a Roofing Road Trips® conversation all about the rebuilding efforts in response to the 2025 Southern California wildfires.  

Back in January 2025, Josh was in the impacted area the day after the fire, trying to find ways to help. He explained, “I went up there to go check on some customers that we had done roofs for just a couple of weeks prior. We couldn't get a hold of them, so me and my mom ended up hopping in the truck and just going up and checking on everyone.” Tim was also on the ground shortly after the fires. He shared a bit of what he saw, saying, “I was...I was completely shocked at the level of devastation that took place. The city of Altadena was gone, all the businesses to all the residences. I've been doing this a long time and been around a lot of Southern California wildfires and never seen anything like this.”  

Now, about 14 months later, both Josh and Tim are still heavily involved in the area, specifically trying to help the affected communities rebuild stronger. And a key part of rebuilding stronger is creating more fire-resistant structures – which metal roofing plays a huge part in. Tim explained, “Metal has gained a reputation of being the most fire resilient product on the market today, and it’s really incredible seeing how many people in these communities are researching and requesting metal.” 

Josh can attest to this demand for the fire-resistant metal firsthand, “We’ve been working to educate people on their options, cause a lot of them will ask for standing seam, see the price tag and hesitate because it’s a lot for a look they don’t love. And I’m like, ‘Okay, but that’s not your only option.’” The other option that Josh has been showing to a lot of his customers? Westlake’s Unified Steel Stone Coated Roofing.  

Tim shared a bit about this product:  

I always say Unified Steel is the best kept secret of roofing. And I say that because this type of roofing emulates clay tile, emulates capri tile, wood shake, etc. A lot of people hesitate to get metal roofs because they don’t want their home to look commercial or look like a barn. But what they don’t realize is that they can get the benefits of metal and the look of a traditional premium roof with Unified Steel.  

With this perfect combination of high-performance, especially in the face of disasters like fires, as well as stunning aesthetics, it’s no wonder that Josh and his team have been installing a lot of Unified Steel as they help rebuild in the aftermath of the 2025 Southern California fires. 

Listen to the podcast or Watch the recording to learn more about Unified Steel roofing and the role it is playing in rebuilding stronger communities.