Restoring Learning Spaces After the Palisades Fire

Background

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is California’s largest public school district and the second largest in the nation, serving more than 600,000 students. When the Palisades Fire erupted on January 7, 2025, it devastated the local community and destroyed over 30% of the Palisades Charter High School campus. By the time the fire was fully contained on January 31, 2025, several school sites—including Palisades Charter Elementary and Marquez Elementary—were rendered unusable.

Faced with the urgent need to restore learning environments for hundreds of displaced students, LAUSD turned to Mobile Modular for a fast, reliable, and code-compliant interim solution.

Challenge

The project team encountered several critical challenges at the outset:

• Limited site access due to fire damage and active emergency response zones monitored by FEMA and the National Guard.
• Tight deadlines, with Phase 1 needing to be completed rapidly to meet school reopening targets.
• Coordination with multiple contractors under emergency conditions while ensuring all work met DSA (Division of the State Architect) requirements for educational facilities.

Despite these challenges, Mobile Modular was committed to delivering a safe, functional, and comfortable temporary learning environment within week

Solution

Mobile Modular collaborated with LAUSD and general contractor Kemp Construction to design and deliver a temporary modular campus. The solution included:

• 33 new 24x40 DSA classrooms
• 1 used 48x40 DSA administrative building
• 3 new 12x40 DSA restrooms
• TMP custom ramps to meet ADA and DSA access standards

A team of trusted partners—TMP, Sanchez and Sons, CIDs, Professional Site Solutions, Avery Enterprises, Optimum Construction, and Suttles Plumbing—worked in concert to ensure swift and compliant installation, from delivery to final utility hookups.

Outcome

Within weeks, Mobile Modular successfully delivered and installed all 71 buildings across both phases. The interim campus allowed Palisades Charter High School to resume classes safely and on schedule—an outcome that brought hope and normalcy back to the community after a devastating natural disaster.

We deliver quick affordable solutions for school systems nationwide. Inquire online or talk to one of our sales representatives today at 866-395-7082, to get your project started.