Californa Wildfires: Devastation is absolute, says Indian American resident of Palisades

PTI, Jan 10, 2025, 9:17 AM IST

Inmate firefighters battle the Mountain Fire at Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Washington: Situated some 32 kilometres west of downtown Los Angeles, the Palisades neighbourhood known for homes of celebrities, is now down to ashes in a devastating fire that hit the area early this week, destroying houses and properties worth billions of dollars.

“The devastation is absolute. There are small pockets where one or two houses are standing,” Moira Shourie, an Indian American resident of Palisades told PTI in an interview from Los Angeles.

Forced to evacuate from her home in the picturesque neighbourhood that also has homes of Hollywood celebrities like Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal, she and her family along with pets have now been staying at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles for the past two days.

President Joe Biden who has cancelled his trip to Italy and Vatican City on Thursday told reporters that the devastation out there is catastrophic in California with thousands of houses, schools, businesses burned to the ground, communities wiped out, lives lost and families forever changed.

“They’re the worst fires to ever hit Los Angeles,” he said at the White House, after he took stock of the situation with his top officials.

Vice President Kamala Harris too has cancelled her three-nation trip to Bahrain, Germany and Singapore in view of the fire that has destroyed a major part of the neighbourhood surrounding Los Angeles, which includes some of the popular and posh areas like Palisades, west of Los Angeles; Eaton, north of Pasadena and San Fernando Valley.

The fire in Hollywood has destroyed some of the iconic places in the city.

So far, at least six people have died and thousands of structures destroyed. Local officials estimate more than 360,000 people have been forced to evacuate. The worst is the Palisade fire that has burned down more than 17,000 acres, with officials describing it as the most destructive fire.

“These fires were just carrying embers hundreds of feet in the air and far, and it was just impossible. I heard one fire captain say that it was like trying to stop the tornado. You can’t do it. Also, any of the aircraft that usually dropped the fire retardant could not be deployed. So, it was really human beings fighting these fires, and they’re powerless. It was pretty devastating,” Shourie said.

“I can’t even take care of my friends. I would say 100 per cent of my friends in the neighbourhood have either lost or had damaged homes or had complete smoke, ash contamination,” she said.

What is being seen in California and in particular in Southern California is apocalyptic in terms of the nature of it and the unprecedented nature of it as well, Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters at the White House.

“What we are seeing is a situation that is extremely dynamic. It is very much in play and to some degree unpredictable, because we are literally waiting to see which way the wind blows,” she said.

Many families of Indian origin have lost everything they owned in the most devastating conflagration ever in the Los Angeles area.

“Fortunately, so far, the loss of life and limb is limited due to timely evacuations. It will take three-five years for these families to recover, even partially,” another Indian origin resident said.

“My family and I moved to Redondo Beach last November so we are not directly affected by the brush fires. For six years we lived in a beautiful home in the Malibu hills with a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean — most of the 84 lovely homes in our neighbourhood have burned to the ground in this blaze. including my former home.

“My office was on the iconic Pacific Coast Highway, neighbouring what is called ‘Billionaire’s Beach’ and the entire swath of several miles is razed to the ground on the beach side as well as the land side,” Bagla told PTI.

In all, the fire has engulfed over 28,000 acres of neighbourhoods in and around Los Angeles, a city which is set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics. Several Hollywood stars have lost their homes in the devastating fire in Palisades.

“Fast-moving Palisades fire in LA scorches thousands of acres, destroys homes.” Indian movie star Priyanka Chopra said in a social media post with a video of the fire, “My thoughts are with everyone affected. Hope we are all able to be safe tonight.” “Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing. We ache for our friends and neighbours who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy,” iconic actor Billy Crystal and his wife Janice said in a joint statement to Hollywood Reporter.

Their home of nearly five decades got destroyed in the Palisades fire. Paris Hilton, Anna Faris, Eugene Levy, Cary Elwes, and Mandy Moore are among celebrities who lost their homes in the wildfires.