What 3D Scanning the Aftermath of the LA Fires Revealed | Nonny de la Peña | TED

Overview

Journalist and immersive storytelling pioneer Nonny de la Peña shares her experience documenting the aftermath of the devastating 2025 Southern California wildfires using cutting-edge 3D scanning technology. Through her work, she captures the haunting silence of destroyed neighborhoods, the resilience of survivors, and the surprising remnants of life that endured the flames. Her talk explores the intersection of technology, storytelling, and humanity in the face of loss and recovery.

Notable Quotes

- Silence is not emptiness. It's a place to reflect and remember, to imagine the wild ways we can rebuild and to consider what really endures. – Nonny de la Peña

- The force, it's within us all. And it's not what we lose that defines us. It's who we love and how we take that love forward. – Nonny de la Peña

- As a journalist, I feel that we have a moral responsibility to bear witness to injustice, to wonder, to the human condition. – Nonny de la Peña

🔥 The Aftermath of the 2025 Firestorm

- Nonny de la Peña and her team documented the destruction in neighborhoods like Altadena and the Palisades, which firefighters referred to as Nuketown.

- The eerie silence of the devastated areas was striking—no sounds of life, cars, or even birds.

- The team worked in hazardous conditions, wearing hazmat suits and double-filtered masks to protect against toxic air.

📸 Immersive Journalism and 3D Scanning

- De la Peña's team used advanced 3D scanning technology, including custom 3D-printed equipment, to capture the devastation in full detail.

- The process involved painstakingly scanning every angle of the wreckage, often in dangerous conditions, to create a comprehensive, immersive record.

- The scans were later fused using artificial intelligence, creating a multidimensional representation of the destruction.

🏠 Personal Loss and Resilience

- De la Peña shared her personal experience of losing her home studio to a fire caused by an exploding electric bike battery. She lost decades of personal and professional memories, including diaries, archives, and equipment.

- Despite the devastation, some items miraculously survived, such as a love letter from her husband and a signed program card from Mark Hamill.

- These small, unexpected survivals became symbols of hope and resilience for her.

💔 Stories of Loss and Survival

- De la Peña recounted deeply personal stories of loss, such as scanning the remains of homes belonging to friends and family, including a cello teacher’s house and a horseback riding instructor’s property.

- She highlighted moments of unexpected survival, like a car left untouched by the fire and safe deposit boxes that preserved family heirlooms and Holocaust papers despite the destruction of the building.

🌟 Using Technology for Impact

- The 3D scans were used not only for storytelling but also to help fire victims, such as providing evidence for insurance claims.

- Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, utilized the scans to assist those affected by the fires.

- De la Peña emphasized the role of immersive journalism in creating empathy and driving action, urging communities to come together to rebuild and support one another.