A local resident and entrepreneur in the Palisades area of Los Angeles expressed shock on Wednesday (January 8) as she took in the damage wrought by a raging wildfire.
Kimberly Devane reported that she broke through multiple blockades on Wednesday morning to reach the street where she owns several buildings which she leases to small business owners. The fire, dubbed the Palisades Fire, had destroyed most of the structures, with the exception of the Old Malibu Courthouse.
Devane, who lost her home in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, expressed shock at the scale of the fire and sadness around community losses. She said that she doesn't know how they will recover.
The Palisades Fire is the biggest of the three blazes burning in the Los Angeles area. It had consumed more than 5,000 acres in the picturesque Pacific Palisades neighborhood, which lies east of Los Angeles between the beach towns of Santa Monica and Malibu and is home to many film, television and music stars. More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference on Wednesday.