Pacific Palisades residents see a long road ahead half a year after the Los Angeles fires that damaged or destroyed more than 18,000 homes.
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif.—Elaine Culotti built her career as a real estate developer in Pacific Palisades, a prestigious enclave west of Los Angeles, renowned for its breathtaking coastline and multi-million-dollar mansions.
More than six months after the Palisades Fire devastated her community, Culotti is still struggling to come to terms with the aftermath.
Culotti’s oceanfront home sustained significant damage, but some of her neighbors and clients lost everything.
“My place burned. My perimeter walls burned. My deck burned. My gym burned,” Culotti said.
She also must remove 10 scorched trees from her property before her family can return.
Destruction now overshadows the once-picturesque community that is home to 23,837 people. Like sparse seedlings blooming in a charred forest, only a few signs of rebuilding are visible.
The wildfires in Los Angeles County began on Jan. 7 and continued for more than three weeks, pushing first responders to their limit and a scramble for scarce water supplies. The fires resulted in the deaths of 30 residents, forced more than 200,000 to evacuate their homes, and rendered entire neighborhoods uninhabitable.
Accusations and blame led to the dismissal of Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, along with calls for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s resignation, as a federal investigation was launched to determine the cause of one of the state’s worst mass casualty fires.
Having lived in Pacific Palisades for more than 25 years, Culotti understands that things will never return to how they once were.
The damage is extensive, with many old landmarks reduced to their foundations or rubble.
High rebuilding costs have forced many residents to relocate, either temporarily or permanently—people whom Culotti knew and helped to build their homes.
On a beautiful, sunny morning around the Fourth of July, Culotti drove past the charred ruins of her community, with many parts left untouched after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers departed on June 1.
“I think it’s going to take 10 years [to rebuild], but it will be unrecognizable. Everything will be worth 10 times what it is today,” Culotti said.
The army teams only worked on properties where owners opted into the public cleanup program. Those who did not participate are responsible for their cleanup costs, she said.
A total of 9,873 property owners took part in the cost-free program run by the army. Treated locations display signs that confirm it is safe to reenter.
In the Palisades Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) reported that 6,662 structures were lost, 890 were damaged, and 12 people died.
When combined with the nearby Eaton Fire, which ignited in Altadena, north of Los Angeles, on Jan. 7 and claimed 18 lives, the two fires destroyed more than 12,000 structures.
“I have friends who lost homes that were 90 percent complete,“ Culotti told The Epoch Times. ”These were brand-new homes. There’s a handful of houses where people are afraid to move back in because of the toxic waste.”
By Allan Stein
