Many were shocked when they watched their homes burn on TV.
Even though there is still a risk of future fires and the second-largest metropolis in the country is still uneasy, many residents have returned to their still-smouldering areas after the flames broke out in and around Los Angeles. As the 13 million-person region struggles to overcome the catastrophe and rebuild, for some it was their first glimpse of the heartbreaking reality of what was lost.
Before gusty weather comes over the weekend to an area that hasn’t seen rain in over eight months, firefighters were able to begin getting some control of the largest fires in metropolitan Los Angeles on Friday thanks to calmer winds. However, a flare-up on the eastern side of the Palisades Fire by Friday evening prompted the ordering of more evacuations in an area that encompasses a portion of Interstate 405 as well.
To make it real, Bridget Berg, who was at work when she saw her Altadena home burn down on TV, came home for the first time two days later with her family.
The fragments of their 16-year-old home crunched beneath their feet.
As her children looked for Japanese wood prints they wanted to retrieve, they discovered a clay pot and a few mementos among the wreckage on the sidewalk. Near the still-standing fireplace, her husband reached out of the debris and held up a piece of petrified wood that had been passed down from his grandmother.
It’s alright. As she surveyed the damage and recalled the deck and pool where her family had watched fireworks, Berg reassured herself and others that it was okay. Not only did we lose our home, but everyone else did as well.
More than 12,000 structures—which includes residences, apartment complexes, businesses, barns, and automobiles—have been torched since the fires initially started to spread over a densely populated 25-mile area north of downtown Los Angeles. For the biggest fires, no reason has been found yet.
City leadership accused of skimping on funds for firefighting
Investigations have started along with accusations of political culpability and leadership shortcomings. Governor Gavin Newsom called the situation “deeply troubling” and ordered state officials to investigate why a 117 million-gallon reservoir was out of commission and several hydrants had gone dry on Friday. Kristin Crowley, the fire chief of Los Angeles, claimed that her agency was let down by the city’s lack of funding for firefighting. She also took issue with the scarcity of water.
We anticipate that there will be water when a firefighter approaches a hydrant, she said.
The LA County medical examiner’s office reports that at least 11 individuals have died, five in the Palisades Fire and six in the Eaton Fire. As cadaver dogs scour devastated communities and workers evaluate the destruction of an area greater than San Francisco, officials said they anticipated that number to increase.
On Friday, authorities established a facility where individuals could report missing persons. About 56 square miles have been burned, and tens of thousands of people are still under evacuation orders.
From waiters to Hollywood stars, the catastrophe claimed their homes. The cost of the damage has not yet been disclosed by the government, but private companies have predicted that it will reach the tens of billions. The Walt Disney Company said Friday that it will provide $15 million to assist rebuild and respond to the disasters.
In addition to local monuments like the Will Rogers Western Ranch House and a Queen Anne-style mansion in Altadena that was commissioned by wealthy mapmaker Andrew McNally and had stood since 1887, the fire destroyed schools, churches, a synagogue, libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, and banks.
Meghan and Harry visit
Prince Harry and his spouse, Meghan, went to the Pasadena Convention Center on Friday to assist in providing meals to those who were evacuated.
On their website, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who reside roughly 90 miles north of the Los Angeles region, also included a list of charities that aid fire victims.
Beloved longtime homes reduce to ash
As they walked around the ruins on Friday, neighbors talked about the recently renovated kitchens, outdoor living areas, and now-gone bedrooms. In stark contrast to the scene of soot and ash, some spoke of the beautiful views that attracted them to their residences.
Greg Benton, who had lived in the seaside neighborhood of Pacific Palisades for thirty-one years, looked about in the hopes of discovering his great-grandmother’s wedding band among the debris.
Over here, in front of that chimney, we just enjoyed Christmas morning. He pointed to the charcoal debris that had once been his living room and remarked, “And this is what’s left.” The things that hurt the most are the little family artifacts.
In order to start over, people at collecting locations throughout the city rummaged through cardboard boxes of donated goods.
Progress made on fighting the Eaton fire
On Friday afternoon, firefighters made their first movement on the Eaton Fire, which has destroyed over 7,000 buildings north of Pasadena. According to officials, the majority of the area’s evacuation orders were revoked on Friday.
Several smaller fires were also put out, according to LA Mayor Karen Bass, who is facing a crucial test of her leadership as her city faces its worst crisis in decades.
Earlier Friday, crews were making progress on the Palisades Fire, the most devastating in Los Angeles history, which destroyed 5,300 houses.
After multiple earlier arrests, evening curfews were in place to prevent looting, and California National Guard troops deployed on Altadena’s streets before dawn to help secure property in the fire evacuation zone.
Even in a state that frequently deals with huge wildfires, the extent of the destruction is startling.
Family devastated over loss of personal heirlooms, including jewelry of deceased Holocaust survivor
After escaping with their three-year-old son and six-year-old daughter, two dogs, and a few clothes, Anna Yeager said she and her husband suffered greatly over returning to their cherished Altadena neighborhood close to Pasadena. Their house was gone, a neighbor informed them.
She now laments not obtaining her mother’s jewelry, family photos, her husband’s grandmother who survived Auschwitz, her children’s artwork, and her husband’s priceless cookbooks. Her mother passed away in 2012.
Upon their return, the couple discovered blocks of nothing but chimneys.
There are power lines everywhere. “Fires are still burning everywhere,” she stated, adding that there was only dust when they arrived at their house.
A scorched tree surrounded their yard with charred grapefruits, some of which were still dangling from its limbs.
The 100th anniversary of Yeager’s Tudor-style neighborhood was scheduled for May.
According to her, you create a world for yourself and your family, feel secure there, and then uncontrollable events like this occur. It’s disastrous.
The front porch, where Yeager had taken pictures of her kids almost every day since 2020 and intended to continue until they were in high school, was still there. That offered her hope.
According to her, the porch’s continued existence is a hint to rebuild rather than abandon. It’s like saying, “Hey, I’m still here,” you know. This is still possible.
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, JULIE WATSON, JOHN SEEWER, and MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press
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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas; Watson reported from San Diego; and Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Contributions were made by Associated Press reporters Hallie Golden in Seattle, Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles, and Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco.
