Palisades Fire leaves residents devastated as homes, neighborhoods burn: "It looks like a war zone"
The Palisades Fire in California has forced thousands to evacuate their homes, leaving many uncertain if their properties survived. Some residents, determined to find out, made their way back despite the thick smoke, only to discover nothing left but ruins.
Gelena Skya, who had built her dream home in the area, returned to find almost every house destroyed, including hers.
"I'm still processing the gravity of the entire situation," she said, walking through the neighborhood where cars were engulfed in flames and houses leveled. Her 9-year-old daughter, Minnie, left for school the morning the fire began and never got an opportunity to go back home.
Not far away, Kevin Pazirandeh was holding onto hope as he looked from a hillside at his still-standing house.
"I was born here, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime event," he said, noting the rare and severe weather conditions that contributed to the fire's rapid spread.
More than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
Matt Baker, who evacuated in his car, feared that his house had burned down.
"I was gonna remodel the house in Malibu, and I had all my belongings and property in there," he said, fighting back tears as he spoke about his uncertain future.
Austin Meloche, another resident, came by to learn about his house in an area known as "The Alphabet Streets," only to hear that the entire area was gone.
Rastin Mohammadi described seeing his high school and football field in flames.
"It looks like a war zone, like something out of a movie," he said. "You can't believe it's happening to you."
The devastation was compounded by a lack of water for firefighting efforts. Several residents reported that hydrants were dry for hours, leaving firefighters with limited resources.
"There seemed like there was no water, a shortage of water," Baker said.
Lindsey Horvath, an L.A. county supervisor, acknowledged the issue.
" ... When we build this kind of infrastructure, it's usually designed for a couple of houses burning at the same time. Certainly not something of this magnitude," she said.
For Skya, the situation has sparked anger.
"Our elected officials are our guardians, and they have massively failed us," she said, calling for hearings and accountability for those in charge. "We're going to rebuild, and that seems so far away for us now, but I just don't know how you bounce back."