For many it was their first glimpse of the astonishing reality of what had been lost.
LOS ANGELES – Many watched in shock as houses burned on television.
Since flames erupted in and around Los Angeles, dozens of residents have returned to their still-smoking neighborhoods, at the same time as the threat of recent fires lingers and the nation’s second-largest city stays unsettled. For some, it was their first glimpse of the astonishing reality of what had been lost as the region of 13 million people grappled with the monumental challenge of overcoming the disaster and rebuilding.
Calmer winds allowed firefighters to contain the largest blazes in metropolitan Los Angeles on Friday, before gusty weather returns over the weekend to an area that has not seen rain in greater than eight months. However, a brand new evacuation was ordered Friday evening for an area that features a part of Interstate 405 after an outbreak on the east side of the Palisades Fire.
Bridget Berg, who was at work when she saw her Altadena home burning on television, returned together with her family for the first time two days later “just to make it happen.”
Their feet crunched on the broken pieces of what had been their home for 16 years.
Her children searched through the rubble on the sidewalk, found a clay pot and a couple of souvenirs, looking for Japanese wood prints they hoped to get better. Her husband reached out from the rubble near the still-standing fireplace, holding aloft a chunk of petrified wood given by his grandmother.
“Everything’s all right. Everything’s OK,” Berg told each herself and others as she surveyed the damage, recalling the deck and pool from which her family watched the fireworks. “It’s not like we just lost our home – everyone lost their home.”
More than 12,000 structures have burned since the fires began around a densely populated 25-mile area north of downtown Los Angeles, including homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. The explanation for the largest fires has not yet been determined.
The city authorities were accused of failing to provide sufficient funds to fight fires
Accusations of leadership failure and political culpability began, together with investigations. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why the 117 million-gallon (440 million liter) reservoir was out of service and a few hydrants were dry, calling it “deeply disturbing.” Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the city had failed her department by not providing enough resources to fight the fires. She also criticized the lack of water.
“When a firefighter goes to a hydrant, we expect there will be water there,” she said.
At least 11 people died, including five in the Palisades Fire and 6 in the Eaton Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials say they expect the number to rise as cadaver dogs roam razed neighborhoods to assess damage in an area larger than San Francisco.
On Friday, authorities arrange a degree where people can report missing individuals. Tens of hundreds of individuals were ordered to evacuate and the fires consumed roughly 56 square miles (145 square kilometers).
The disaster took away everyone’s homes – from waiters to movie stars. The government has not yet released data on the cost of injury, but private firms have estimated it is going to rise into the tens of billions. Walt Disney Co. announced Friday that it will donate $15 million to fight the fires and help with recovery efforts.
Flames hit schools, churches, a synagogue, libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and native attractions corresponding to Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and the Queen Anne-style mansion in Altadena, which dates back to 1887 and was commissioned by the wealthy creator map. Andrew McNally.
Meghan and Harry’s visit
On Friday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited the Pasadena Convention Center to help distribute food to evacuees.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live about 90 miles north of Los Angeles, also posted an inventory of organizations supporting fire victims on their website.
Beloved, long-time homes are reduced to ashes
On Friday, neighbors walked through the ruins, describing the now-vanished bedrooms, recently renovated kitchens and outdoor living spaces. Some spoke of the stunning views that had drawn them to their property, their words contrasting sharply with the scene of soot and ash.
In the coastal community of Pacific Palisades, Greg Benton explored the place where he had lived for 31 years, hoping to find his great-grandmother’s wedding ring in the wreckage.
“We just spent Christmas morning here, right in front of this chimney. And this is what is left,” he said, pointing to the blackened rubble that was once his lounge. “It’s the little family heirlooms that really hurt the most.”
Elsewhere in the city, people at collection points sorted through cardboard boxes of donated items to start a brand new life.
Progress in the fight against the Eaton fire
Firefighters made progress for the first time Friday afternoon on the Eaton Fire north of Pasadena, which has burned greater than 7,000 buildings. Authorities said most evacuation orders in the area were lifted on Friday.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who faces a critical test of her leadership amid the worst crisis in a long time, said several smaller fires have been contained.
Crews that began Friday have been gaining ground following the Palisades fire, which has burned 5,300 buildings and is the most destructive in Los Angeles history.
California National Guard troops arrived on the streets of Altadena before dawn to help protect property in the fire evacuation zone, and a curfew was in effect after several earlier arrests to prevent looting.
The level of destruction is shocking even in a state where massive wildfires commonly occur.
A family devastated by the loss of non-public memorabilia, including jewelry from a deceased Holocaust survivor
Anna Yeager said she and her husband were anxious to return to their beloved Altadena neighborhood near Pasadena after escaping with their 6-yr-old daughter and three-yr-old son, two dogs and a couple of clothes. A neighbor told them that their house was not there.
Now she regrets not taking her kid’s works, her husband’s precious cookbooks, family photos and jewellery from her mother, who died in 2012, and her husband’s grandmother, who survived Auschwitz.
When the couple returned, they saw blocks of flats, only “chimney after chimney”.
“Power lines everywhere. There are still fires burning everywhere,” she said, adding that once they approached the house, “there was just dust.”
Charred grapefruits littered the yard around the blackened tree, with a couple of still hanging from its branches.
The Yeager Tudor Homes neighborhood planned to have a good time its a centesimal anniversary in May.
“You build a world for yourself and your family and you feel safe in that world, and things happen that you have no control over,” she said. “It’s devastating.”
Remains remain of the front porch, where Yeager photographed her children almost daily since 2020 and planned to achieve this until they entered highschool. This gave her hope.
“The porch is still there and for me it is a sign that it should be rebuilt and not abandoned,” she said. “You know, it’s like saying, ‘Hey, I’m still here. You can still do it.”
