Convoys of homeowners were escorted up into the Palisades Highlands on Monday to get a look at what remains after the Palisades Fire.
The fire’s capricious nature was on full display on Palisades Dr., where a long stretch of burned brush and destroyed homes was followed by a string of completely untouched properties, with no sign of ash or smoke.
“I was dreading, you know, the worst, obviously, because we're watching it on the news 24/7,” said Ingrid, whose home is on Avenida Santa Ynez. “I think it was two days after, my daughter somehow, you know, snuck in, and she was on the phone to me crying. She said, ‘It’s still standing.’”
Megan, whose house on Calle De Madrid also survived, told KNX News’ Pete Demetriou that losing her community is “the hardest part.”
“Our kids go to school together and they do Girl Scouts together and extracurriculars together. Like, this was our future. This is where we planned to be forever,” she said.”We always talk about in high school when you see someone walking through the village, we're gonna be calling each other and saying ‘I saw so and so,’ my friend here just said, and we don't know what any of that looks like anymore.”
Officials say the majority of those who lived in the area of the Palisades Village may not be able to re-enter for a few more days until the area is fully evaluated by environmental teams.
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At least 7,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged since the Palisades Fire broke out on Jan. 7.
As of Jan. 21, the fire was at 63% containment after burning 23,713 acres. Fire crews are still on high alert as extreme winds continue to batter Southern California.
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