Local residents focus on rebuilding wildfire-ravaged Southern California community
Leaving nothing to chance, the locals plan to rebuild.
While lighting up the Southern California landscape, some people focus on what’s coming next. Neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades were burned to ashes by the Palisades Fire. Containment is minimal, debris, downed trees and power lines are strewn everywhere – creating a dangerous fire hazard amid Santa Ana winds.
Leaving nothing to chance, the locals plan to rebuild.
Take action on the front lines of fighting in Southern California
“In my wildest dreams, I never would have thought that what I’m seeing right now would be the result of a phone call,” fourth-generation Palisadian Chuck Hart said.
The second Hart hears about the fire, he and a team of contractors jump to the front lines to protect their community.
A burned playground in Pacific Palisades. (Sunday / FOX Business)
“I’ve put water on a fire before, but when you’re up in a canyon with the wind ripping and hot embers and flames blowing and now hot steam, my eyes, my nose, my face… I mean, it’s intense,” Hart said.
A California restaurant is pushing free pizzas to help feed victims of wildfires, first responders
After fighting the fire, Hart and his team went straight into street cleaning.
“I think more than anything, it’s motivation to clean this up, to start this way and to get down and down the street,” Hart said.
A tractor moves fallen trees off the road. (Sunday / FOX Business)
These efforts go far beyond Hart and his team.
“I think it’s simple. It’s something we know how to do. Just like we don’t want to leave here…we want to be a part of rebuilding,” said Palisdian Nicole Giarmati.
California Wildfires Could Cost Insurers $20B, Highest In State History
The home of Giarmati and Eli Johnson was destroyed in the Palisades Fire. Without hesitation, they immediately returned to destruction, ready to rebuild their community.
In the year A view of a charred beachfront property overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Palisades Fire in Malibu, California on January 12, 2025. (Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“I grew up here, and knowing my dad grew up here and my grandparents, that’s where my roots are. And you’ve got it,” Johnson said.
Get FOX BUSINESS on the go by clicking here
This is what these Palisadians do as they take their efforts day by day.
“This is something very new, we’re starting something we’ve never done before — one day at a time, it’s going to reveal itself, what our next step is,” Giarmatti said.