There’s a saying in Los Angeles: ”If you’re rich you live in Beverly Hills, if you’re famous you live in Malibu, if you’re lucky you live in Pacific Palisades.” I was one of the lucky ones. In 2017, my family and I bought our house in the Palisades—a 1950s tract house on the same street as three of our friends. We had hiking trails through the Santa Monica Mountains in our backyard, convenient access to the beach, and a small-town neighborhood feel with great schools and caring neighbors. It was so safe, I rarely locked my doors.
Then on January 7, 2025, a fire started by an arsonist a week earlier in the mountains rekindled due to gusty Santa Ana winds. The winds, a combination of very hot and very dry air, originate in the desert beyond Los Angeles and gain speed as they move into coastal areas, creating a tinderbox of dry brush in the mountain ranges. The flames ripped through the Palisades and up along Pacific Coast Highway into Malibu. That same day, in Altadena at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains near Hollywood, a faulty power line sparked the Eaton fire, which tore through homes and businesses that had been staples in the tight-knit, historically Black community for decades. For a few frightening days, it felt like Los Angeles was burning at both ends.
My children and I never went home again. Only my husband managed to return and pack a few important items. Yet neither of us thought our house, nor the whole town, would burn down. But by January 8, all that was left standing of our home was the fireplace. Everything else—clothing, photos, toys, baby blankets, heirlooms, artwork—was now a pile of ashes. When the fires were contained weeks later, roughly 16,000 structures in Los Angeles had burned, 31 people died, thousands of residents were displaced, and damages and economic losses reached into the billions of dollars.
The Eaton fire in the Altadena neighborhood killed at least 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 buildings, making it one of the most destructive wildfires in California history.
Photo by Danny Liao Photography/Shutterstock
The long aftermath and looking ahead
In the immediate days after the fires, the best way to help was with direct donations to individuals and businesses affected. One year after the fire, the mood among residents ranges from sadness over what was lost, anger at how it happened, and gratitude for what still remains. Today, the best way to support the burned areas is to shop in the stores, eat in the restaurants, and take in the beaches and hiking trails (but don’t trespass on burned properties).
Altadena
“Living in Altadena feels like living in a beautiful painting that has a giant gash sliced down the center,” resident Kimberli Samuel said. “You feel a punch in your gut every time you drive by a remnant of what used to be your favorite coffee shop or the park where your kid had their birthday or the neighborhood restaurant where you celebrated an anniversary.”
Samuel, who is head of the the Culturist Group, an L.A.-based multicultural travel marketing agency, recently joined more than 1,000 fellow survivors in a solemn protest at the Grocery Outlet on the one-year anniversary on January 7. The remembrance event honored each of the 19 people who died and according to Samuel, “served as a silent call for action” as survivors continue to demand an independent investigation into the Eaton fire.
“Our local businesses need our support more than ever,” Samuel said. “We need them here for when all our neighbors return.”
In Altadena, Samuel recommends stopping in at neighborhood places that have reopened like Unincorporated Coffee, Altadena Beverage and Market, and the Full Circle Thrift shop.
Altadena is also easy to visit from a range of hotel options, such as the sprawling Langham Hotel in Pasadena, the design forward Proper Hotel in downtown, and the laid-back Silver Lake Pool and Inn in Silver Lake. Nearby, the Huntington art museum and botanical gardens, always a must-do for visitors, now serves as a “temporary caretaker” and sanctuary for items rescued from the Eaton fire, which are on display.
Pacific Palisades
In the Pacific Palisades, residents held a protest in front of a blackened, hollowed-out building that once housed a Starbucks and several restaurants. The “They Let Us Burn,” rally began with demands of the local and state government for transparency and aid, and ended with lifelong Palisadian and reality TV star, Spencer Pratt, announcing his run for mayor of Los Angeles. Pratt has been vocal on social media about the city’s inadequate fire response and has turned into an unlikely, yet strongly supported, spokesperson for fire victims.
Recouping what was lost will take several years, and despite the frustrations, the communities are rallying around this collective effort. Kambiz Kamdar, a Palisades resident and general contractor, is helping neighbors rebuild through PaliBuilds.com, a platform designed to demystify the construction process through data about building permits, insurance estimate comparisons, and both contractor and architect recommendations. While the Temescal hiking trails are still closed and only a handful of shops are open, Kamdar said the town is showing more signs of life.
“The character and energy of the town will shift dramatically—likely even by the end of this year,” Kamdar said.
This summer, Palisades Village, a small outdoor mall from the same developer as the Grove Los Angeles, will reopen, including with the influencer-favorite grocery store, Erewhon. The revamped Palisades Recreation Center will reopen next year and this week, Palisades High School will finally head back to campus.
Malibu
In Malibu, often the dreamy backdrop for Hollywood movies and TV shows like Gidget, Point Break, and Baywatch, charred remnants of houses dot the coastline, with battered wood and concrete pilings jutting up from the sand. It’s a jarring reminder of what happened on one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world.
Trace Marshall, co-owner of Brothers Marshall surf shop and community center in Malibu, was spared from the fire but said many businesses still need support, despite the reopening of Pacific Coast Highway. “Malibu is still beautiful and is still one of the best places in the world,” Marshall said. “Do anything you can do to come support the community—go buy a smoothie, a T-shirt, or something, and spread the word.”
Nearby, at the Cross Creek Ranch, an outdoor shopping center just north of the heavily burned areas, new restaurants have emerged like Clark’s Oyster Bar and Pura Vida Miami, a smoothie and acai bowl shop. The Malibu Country Mart, a mix of fashion stores and cafés, is also fully open again. The Surfrider Hotel, across from the Malibu Pier and its legendary surf break, was recently acquired by the Malibu-born Chrome Hearts fashion brand. Meanwhile, the Malibu Beach Inn and the Nobu Ryokan, two luxury hotels along the beach, are eagerly welcoming guests.
And so life goes on.
As for my family, we’ve weathered the ups and downs of grief in Playa del Rey, a five-minute drive from the Los Angeles International Airport. Soon, we will move to a rental back in the Palisades. From my new bedroom, I can see the Santa Monica Mountains, which have turned from brown to bright green after a few rainstorms, and a gorgeous sliver of the Pacific Ocean. It still feels like home.
