Undeterred, locals are planning to rebuild.
As flames blaze across the Southern California landscape, some people are focusing on what's next. Neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades have been reduced to ashes in the Palisades fire. Containment is minimal, while debris, downed trees, and power lines are scattered – creating a dangerous fire hazard amid Santa Ana winds.
Undeterred, locals are planning to rebuild.
Locals are stepping up to support the front lines fighting the wildfires in Southern California
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that what I'm seeing right now would be the result of my phone call,” said Chuck Hart, a fourth-generation Palisadean.
Hart heard the second About the firehe and his team of contractors jumped headfirst into the front lines to protect their community.
A burned playground in Pacific Palisades. (Sonny Tsai / FOXBusiness)
“I've put water on fires before, but when they come up a windy valley Digging and blowing embers and flames“And now the hot steam, my eyes, my nose, my face… I mean it's intense,” Hart said.
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After battling the flames, Hart and his team went straight inside Street cleaning
“I think more than anything, it's about trying to clean this up, start doing it so we can go up and down the streets,” Hart said.
A tractor removes fallen trees from the road. (Sonny Tsai / FOXBusiness)
These efforts go far beyond Hart and his team.
“I think it's easy. It's just what we know to do. It's like we don't want to leave here or be away…we want to be a part of rebuilding it,” said Nicole Giarmati Palizzidin.
California wildfires could cost insurers $20 billion, the highest in the state's history.
Giarmati and Ellie Johnson's home burned in the Palisades fire. Without hesitation, they immediately returned to the site of destruction, ready to rebuild their community.
A view of a fire-ravaged beachfront property overlooking the Pacific Ocean that burned as a result of the Palisades Fire on January 12, 2025 in Malibu, California. (Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“I grew up here and I know my dad grew up here and knowing my grandparents, I mean my roots are here. And you protect that,” Johnson said.
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That's exactly what these Palisadians are going to do, as they strive day in and day out.
“This is brand new, we're going to start doing something we've never done before — one day at a time, it's going to reveal itself as to what we're going to do next,” Gyarmathy said.