LOS ANGELES — On the morning of January 7, Neal Flesner sensed something unusual in the air. After residing in Los Angeles for about 25 years, never had he experienced winds so powerful and laden with dust.

By the time he finishing his workout at a Venice Beach gym around 11 a.m., plumes of smoke and flames were already consuming the hills close to his home in Pacific Palisades, California.

His wife, Carmen, whose family has a long history in Los Angeles, was starting to make preparations to evacuate. Flesner and his wife had lived in the Mandeville Canyon area near the Palisades for several years and had already faced at least six evacuation instances due to wildfires.

However, in their neighborhood, Alphabet Streets, Flesner always believed they were far enough from the dry brush of rural areas to be safe from wildfires.

“Living in this area, we always acknowledged the high risk of fire,” Flesner noted.

‘We invested everything in our home’

When Flesner returned home roughly a day after evacuating, he was shocked to discover it wasn’t spared. As the fire swept through, he made the decision to trek back into the area—a journey of four and a half miles—from Santa Monica, accompanied by a stranger he had just met.

He felt an overwhelming urge to witness the extent of the destruction to what he and Carmen affectionately called their “happy place.”

“That was where we lived, where we planned to spend our lives. We dedicated so much effort into creating that home,” said Flesner. “I had to see it for myself.”

What he discovered upon arrival left him devastated—the entire neighborhood of Alphabet Streets lay in ruins. The only structure barely intact was his garage.

Inside the garage was all that remained of their life together: a few wine bottles, some family photographs, and a cherished fountainhead that belonged to Carmen’s late father, who passed away over ten years ago.

‘Support is invaluable’

Residents of Palisades and Malibu gathered at intersections along the Pacific Coast Highway, like Temescal Canyon and Channel Road, on Saturday, waiting to receive a police escort into the burn zone of the Palisades Fire.

Joel Kleinman, 51, waited patiently for 15 minutes for a ride to his family home located in the Alphabet Streets area. Overcome with emotion, he was heartbroken to see the damage his home had suffered in the fire.

The police officer escorting him offered a comforting presence. Though Kleinman couldn’t salvage much, he found that his vehicle, despite having melted headlights, was still operational.

“It’s still a very chaotic and risky situation, so having support during this time is really helpful,” Kleinman remarked. “Even having emotional support is invaluable.”

Others have begun discussing plans for rebuilding their homes.

“It felt like a small town in the middle of a big city, like Palisades was our Main Street USA,” Flesner reflected. “I want to actively participate not just in rebuilding homes but also in restoring the community, reviving the culture, and recreating the vibrant life we all cherished there.”

“It’s a unique place,” he added. “Everyone desires to return.”