Shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, Francine Sohn was abruptly awakened by a frantic phone call from a neighbor, alerting her to a fire on the nearby hill. Peering outside, the 72-year-old saw a small brush fire dangerously close to her Pacific Palisades neighborhood in western Los Angeles. As firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, she anxiously monitored the situation, prepared to evacuate if necessary. Fortunately, with manageable winds and swift containment efforts, no homes were harmed and no injuries occurred.
A week later, a similar incident occurred, but this time, it escalated dramatically. The Palisades Fire, emerging as one of the most devastating natural disasters in Los Angeles history, originated in Palisades Highlands, a luxurious community overseeing the Malibu-Santa Monica coastline. Initially perceived as a modest brush fire, the flames quickly spread due to powerful 60 mph winds, ravaging over 20,000 acres and destroying over 5,000 structures. This catastrophe, one of six wildfires simultaneously raging in Los Angeles County, displaced 180,000 individuals and claimed at least 11 lives.
Eye witnesses recounted the early stages of the Palisades Fire on the morning of January 7, observing its unprecedented speed and destructive force, leaving a trail of devastation that surpassed their expectations for a region accustomed to wildfires.
On that fateful morning, Sohn, already on edge due to weather warnings of dry winds heightening the fire risk, swiftly evacuated upon spotting flames near her neighbor’s property. Meanwhile, Beni Oren and his friends encountered the fire while on a trail run near Skull Rock, prompting them to flee as the flames drew nearer.
As firefighters scrambled to contain the blaze, radio communications highlighted the escalating threat, emphasizing the imminent danger to residential areas. The urgency of the situation was palpable as responders worked to safeguard the community from the relentless advance of the fire.
Shortly after 11 a.m. on Tuesday, a fire began to spread in the Palisades Highlands. Concerned residents watched from their backyards and decks as the fire grew, realizing the danger. Stephanie Libonati was at home with her family on Piedra Morada Drive when she spotted flames and smoke about three-quarters of a mile away. She immediately called out, “Fire!” while her mother dialed 911. Libonati and her brother quickly alerted neighbors and started packing up important belongings like photographs and passports. They devised a plan: leave in separate cars, meet outside of town, and head to her grandfather’s ranch in Santa Clarita.
As they prepared to evacuate, Libonati, 26, noticed that the fire had doubled in size. Firefighters had arrived and instructed her brother to stop trying to protect their back deck and to evacuate. The crackling of the fire and the acrid smell filled the air as ash blew in their faces. The fire spread rapidly, prompting a swift departure.
The family became separated as they navigated through the chaos of flames, traffic, and panic. Despite the unexpected turn of events, they managed to reunite and continue their journey to the ranch. The evacuation turned into a frenzied rush as more residents attempted to flee. Palisades Drive, the main route leading downhill to Sunset Boulevard, became clogged with cars. Some residents attempted to use Fire Road as an alternate evacuation route, only to find it surrounded by flames.
As the winds intensified, the fire grew more ferocious, creating new hot spots and engulfing the mountainside and surrounding areas. Colin Fields and Vanita Borwankar, residents of Palisades Drive, received an evacuation alert and attempted to leave in their car. However, they were forced to turn back due to the congestion. Returning to Fields’ parents’ home, the siblings fought the encroaching flames with hoses and alerted firefighters to flare-ups.
Fields, 34, expressed astonishment at the magnitude of the fire, likening it to a disaster movie. Some residents grappled with the decision to evacuate, choosing to stay behind and defend their homes with garden hoses and water from swimming pools. By late afternoon, a fire truck escorted Fields, Borwankar, and other residents to safety.
A procession of vehicles trailed behind, making their way down Palisades Drive towards Sunset Boulevard, seeking refuge from the raging fires that engulfed both sides of the streets. “The heat,” Borwankar remarked, “it felt like a furnace.” Some residents hesitated to leave their homes until the flames encroached too close for comfort. In the dead of night, firefighters instructed Suha Tabsh, an anesthesiologist, and her elderly mother to evacuate their residence on Calle Victoria, guiding them past an engine truck stationed in the driveway. “Embers fell on our car like tennis balls,” recounted Tabsh, 75, as they navigated the perilous escape route. “Everything was ablaze around us,” she recalled of the harrowing journey out of the neighborhood, where prayers filled the air.
“I thought they would extinguish it,” expressed Don Griffin, 78, as he observed firefighters battling the Palisades Fire shortly after it erupted in the canyon near his home. The blaze swiftly spread across a fire evacuation route and descended towards Palisades Village. While numerous homes in Palisades Highlands succumbed to the inferno, others miraculously remained standing amidst the chaos, showcasing the capricious nature of the devastation: one side of a street reduced to ashes, while the opposite side endured unscathed. Residents of Piedra Morada Drive, such as the Libonatis and Sohn, recounted their fortunate survival despite being in close proximity to the fire’s origin.
The investigation into the cause of the Palisades Fire continues, as Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley disclosed during a press briefing. Queries regarding the fire department’s response protocols and readiness, as well as a potential link to a previous canyon fire on January 1, remain unanswered. Crowley assured reporters that local fire stations were fully staffed and personnel were strategically deployed in the Palisades area due to the looming threat posed by high winds.
While the full extent of the fire’s devastation is still unfolding, some residents are acknowledging that the situation could have been more catastrophic. “The fortunate thing is,” reflected Don Griffin, a longtime resident of Palisades Highlands, “if this had occurred at 3 or 4 in the morning without anyone noticing, the casualties might have been far greater.” Griffin captured a poignant image at 11:57 a.m. when the fire crept perilously close to neighboring homes.
Sohn, currently seeking refuge in a hotel, shared how the community is exchanging updates on the fate of their residences. She expressed disbelief at the preservation of her home amidst the widespread destruction. However, the solace derived from this fact is overshadowed by the devastation that has befallen her neighborhood. She recently conveyed the heartbreaking news to a friend that their house had succumbed to the flames. “It’s a tragic loss,” she lamented.
