Samara installs its first modular home for Altadena wildfire victims

Samara, a California-based manufacturer of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), installed its first modular home for wildfire victims in Altadena, Calif., on Thursday, in partnership with nonprofit organization Steadfast LA. 

The installation, which took place last week, is part of a local rebuilding effort in response to the damage caused by the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire in the Los Angeles area in January 2025. In collaboration with Steadfast LA, a nonprofit backed by billionaire developer and Los Angeles resident Rick Caruso, Samara offers homes at no cost to people impacted by the wildfire, particularly long-time residents who were underinsured and can’t afford to rebuild on their own. 

Samara CEO Mike McNamara said his team currently expects to install about 10 homes for affected families, though that number could increase depending on available funding. The homes will mostly be built in Altadena, although his team may also consider sites in Pacific Palisades. 

The modular homes, Samara’s two-bedroom, two-bath, 950-square-foot Backyard XL models, can be ready for occupancy within 90 to 120 days of permit approval. Once the home is installed on a foundation on site, the Samara team will spend several weeks preparing the home by adding decks, porches, awnings, carports, hardscaping, landscaping, fencing and other design features. 

This quick, efficient end-to-end cycle time is a principal reason modular housing has emerged as a compelling option for communities rebuilding after a natural disaster. The homes are also built to be resilient to future fires. 

“We build a product that’s perfect for Southern California. It’s all fire-resistant, with fiber-cement exterior cladding, a metal roof and advanced HVAC that filters out wildfire smoke. And it’s got all kinds of design features that don’t catch embers,” McNamara said. 

The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed more than 16,000 structures combined, many of which were homes. While Samara’s 950-square-foot home models are relatively modest in size, McNamara noted that about 600 homes in the Altadena area that burned down were 1,000 square feet or less. 

Altadena, a more mixed-income community than the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, is home to many longtime residents without the financial resources to rebuild on their own. What’s more, the time and rigors of the permitting and construction process also represent significant barriers to a fresh start. 

“Navigating the construction process after a fire like that, getting bids, contractors, managing all the different aspects, getting permits and figuring out your landscaping is [difficult],” McNamara said. “We just said that we’re going to help the people that don’t have the financial wherewithal or the sophistication to be able to go do these things.”

All of Samara’s backyard homes and ADUs are built in a 150,000-square-foot factory in Mexicali, Mexico. The facility, according to McNamara, has the capacity to deliver about two units per day, although production can vary depending on the size of the home. 

Samara, which spun off from Airbnb in 2022, recently announced another partnership with Prometheus Real Estate Group to bring ADUs to five Prometheus multifamily communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Those ADUs will be placed on vacant or underutilized spaces, therefore increasing the number of rentable units on site.