Airbnb is offering free lodging to victims of the Los Angeles wildfires

Airbnb says it offers Free temporary housing For residents of the Los Angeles area affected by the wildfires currently burning in Southern California. The company has partnered with 211 LA, a non-profit phone line that offers local information services in multiple languages. For now, Airbnb says it’s focused on helping residents in the Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and Sylmar areas. The company may expand to support other regions, and encourages local residents to do so Keep an eye on her blog For updates.

Airbnb will work with 211 LA to identify residents in need of temporary housing and connect them with accommodations offered through Airbnb.org, the company’s nonprofit arm that provides free stays through funds from the company and hosts who offer their homes during disaster situations. The company says more than 1.6 million nights of emergency stays have been provided to about 250,000 people.

The home-sharing platform received some criticism on Twitter/X after a user posted that Airbnb had done this She refused to rebook it To new accommodation away from forest fires. The company told Gizmodo that the woman made the reservation on the afternoon of January 7, after the fire had already started, which is why it initially refused to issue a refund. Airbnb has since addressed the situation as a goodwill gesture.

Other guests with ongoing reservations in affected areas of Southern California are eligible to end their trips early under Airbnb’s Major Disruptive Events Policy and will receive a refund to cover the remaining nights of their stay. If their stay has not yet begun, users can cancel and receive a full refund. Hosts can cancel stays in affected areas without any consequences.

Thank you Airbnb pic.twitter.com/4BeL26L8Yj

– Anna Mostarac (@anammostarac) January 8, 2025

So far at least Two dead At least 1,000 structures were reported destroyed as three major fires continued to burn across the Los Angeles area. Videos posted on social media depict a devastating scene of affluent areas including Pacific Palisades in ruins.

This is crazy. The Pacific feels like a war zone. Thousands of dunams were destroyed in one day, with the hope that the fire will be contained soon pic.twitter.com/1PnZOqnxCk

— Liquidity (@litcapital) January 8, 2025