Los Angeles Courts Stay Open as Homes of Judges, Staff Burn

Los Angeles courts are largely moving ahead with hearings and trials as residents across the county flee raging wildfires burning for an eighth day.

Most of the county’s 36 courthouses stayed open since the first L.A. fires began Jan. 7, with court staff sometimes working in face masks as smokey air filled facilities near uncontained blazes. Three courthouses closed temporarily last week but reopened Friday.

Lawyers and their clients say they’re anxious while appearing before judges, distracted by calls from friends and family who may be in the path of the fires.

The city is entering a second week of ...