‘My whole city is gone’: As evacuations are lifted, LA residents are returning home to find nothing left

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‘My whole city is gone’: As evacuations are lifted, LA residents are returning home to find nothing left
Author: Katie Hawkinson
Published: Jan, 10 2025 22:18

At least 10 people have been killed as the Palisades and Eaton fires continue to scorch the Los Angeles area. The deadly fires prompted some 200,000 people across Southern California to evacuate their homes. As evacuation orders are lifted for certain neighborhoods, many residents are returning to find their homes and belongings reduced to rubble.

 [Drone footage shows burned homes in Los Angeles. Some residents have returned to find their neighborhood destroyed]
Image Credit: The Independent [Drone footage shows burned homes in Los Angeles. Some residents have returned to find their neighborhood destroyed]

Thomas Korn, who lived in Altadena, teared up as he spoke about his now-destroyed home. “There’s nothing left. I’ve been here about an hour and a half and I don’t want to leave,” Korn told the Associated Press. “I really can’t put it into words.”.

 [The Eaton Fire has destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and more than 200,000 were forced to flee during the disaster]
Image Credit: The Independent [The Eaton Fire has destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and more than 200,000 were forced to flee during the disaster]

Patrick Williams, an Altadena resident who lost his home, told the AP, “Everything that we know and love is gone.”. “This house, my whole city is gone,” Williams said. “The whole thing…everything, my whole neighborhood, everything that I grew up to love and know is burnt up.”.

His neighborhood had been leveled with only six homes, out of 60, still standing. “Everything else is ash and rubble,” McGeagh told Reuters on Friday. “Everybody at this point is just numb,” he told the outlet. Police had helped some people hope for about 15 minutes, allowing them to get whatever possessions they could before taking them back to safety, USA Today noted.

Lucy Sherriff, a BBC journalist and Palisades resident, published the details of her harrowing evacuation and the eventual discovery that her house was destroyed. “We returned on Wednesday afternoon and were allowed to drive in because of my press credentials,” she continued. “When we reached Sunset Blvd, our road, we saw flames and fire engines in front of our block of condos. My heart sank.”.

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