See it: Los Angeles homes stand unscathed like mirage in sea of ash following raging fires
Thousands of homes, businesses and schools have been reduced to ash as wildfires morph once vibrant neighborhoods into ghost towns. Yet, amid the fiery beast's widespread trail of destruction, a haunting paradox is emerging around Los Angeles.
Pacific Palisades library reduced to ruin by California wildfires
The Palisades Fire burned the public library at Pacific Palisades to the ground. The Palisades Fire, along with the other wildfires in Southern California wildfires, have scorched thousands of structures and led to at least 24 confirmed deaths, as of Tuesday morning.
LOS ANGELES – A grim landscape of devastation stretches for miles across Southern California as a ferocious firestorm continues to consume more than 40,000 acres of land.
Thousands of homes, businesses and schools have been reduced to ash as wildfires morph once vibrant neighborhoods into ghost towns. Yet, amid the fiery beast's widespread trail of destruction, a haunting paradox is emerging around Los Angeles.
A house untouched by the Eaton Fire stands above a neighborhood destroyed by the fire in Altadena, California, on January 13, 2025.
(ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP / Getty Images)
Like mirages in a sea of ash, some homes still stand eerily untouched, as if their facades were seemingly immune to the infernos that obliterated neighboring structures.
Burnt out cars next to a home that was untouched during the Eaton Fire in Altadena on Friday, January 10, 2025.
(Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News / Getty Images)
Many homes that survived the fire may have benefited from factors such as well-maintained landscaping and the use of fire-resistant building materials. Elements like these could have created a buffer zone, slowing the flames' advance. Additionally, unpredictable wind shifts may have played a significant role, diverting the main force of the fire away from certain areas.
This aerial photo shows homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire and a few other untouched in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 10, 2025.
(DAVID SWANSON/AFP / Getty Images)
"Homes were burning right around the fire station, the place where you think folks would be the safest," FOX Business Correspondent Max Gorden reported from a razed Pacific Palisades live on FOX Weather. "It just shows you the scope of the damage and just how intense this firefight was."
A home completely destroyed, while the house behind it is untouched along Toyopa Street in Pacific Palisades on Monday, January 13, 2025.
(David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News / Getty Images)
Southern California remains on high alert as strong Santa Ana winds continue to batter Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Wednesday, raising concerns about renewed fire activity. The National Weather Service has issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation Fire Weather Warning, with wind gusts expected to reach 45-70 mph.
Since October, the NWS has issued four warnings of this type. The first preceded the Mountain Fire in Ventura County, which destroyed 243 structures. The second preceded the Franklin Fire in Malibu, which destroyed 20 structures. The third preceded the Palisades and Eaton Fires, among others, which has left thousands of homes destroyed as more than 15,000 personnel battle those blazes.
The fourth began Tuesday as residents have been warned to remain vigilant, follow evacuation orders and take necessary precautions to protect themselves and their property.
A mixture of burned and untouched homes during aftermath of Palisades Fire along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California on Sunday, January 12, 2025.
(Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle / Getty Images)
"We aren’t out of the woods yet," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. "As we anticipate severe fire weather in the coming days, we are surging thousands of personnel and equipment to ensure the safety of our communities. Our response efforts continue on the ground during this ever-evolving situation – Southern Californians must stay vigilant and heed orders from local authorities.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it is investigating the cause of the Palisades and Eaton fires and the other recent blazes.
The human toll of the disaster is immeasurable with at least 24 lives lost and thousands displaced.