Their L.A. Neighborhood Burned. Two Residents Find What’s Left.

0:05How far back are you? I am... Behind that truck? Yeah, just behind the truck. On Friday morning, a long line of cars formed in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, a place that's been decimated over the past few days by raging wildfires. In areas where the fires have burned out, authorities have started to let residents back in to assess the damage and to see what's left of their homes. In one of the cars was a woman named Mariah Lanfar. Yeah, so we had a clue that our house was gone when we got this map from, like, Cal Fire or whatever. But they didn't update this for so long, so I was, like, holding out.

0:46So this is where our house is. With her was a man from her neighborhood named Gavin Bates. My wife didn't even want to come. She's like, why are you going? I feel like I just need to see it myself. Totally, I feel this way. I just need to see it. It's hard. Yeah. Getting into the neighborhood was a slow process. Police were escorting people in, in part to protect against looters. And they only let a handful of cars in at a time. Maybe I should roll up the window. I think it's going to be smoky. Yeah, it's going to be miserable. Also in the car was our colleague Catherine Sayre, who Mariah said could tag along to report on the damage.

1:25Well, this is more fun than being all alone, so...

1:33Catherine spent the next few hours with Mariah and Gavin, just two of the thousands of people whose lives have been turned upside down by the ongoing fires in Los Angeles.

1:48Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Ryan Knudsen. It's Monday, January 13th. Coming up on the show, a journey back to the Pacific Palisades.

2:46In the line of cars waiting to get back to the Pacific Palisades, Mariah, Gavin and our colleague Catherine chatted in Mariah's Honda Civic. They talked about life before the fire. Mariah, who's 24, lived with her 80-year-old great-aunt. Their house was a white, single-story family home with a blue awning and a big backyard. Her aunt moved there in the mid-1970s. My aunt bought her house first with her first husband, and then they got a divorce, and my aunt bought the house from him. Mariah said it was filled with a lifetime of possessions, like her aunt's art collection and handmade wooden furniture.

3:25Several generations of Mariah's family lived in the neighborhood, including her grandma, who she calls her Obachan. And my Obachan would always talk about the building too far into the mountains or building too far into the mountains. Something's going to happen, you know. And here we are at the edge of the mountain. And yeah, it's decimated. Gavin was a much more recent addition to the neighborhood. He moved there in 2010 with his wife. Now they have two kids and lived in an area known as the Alphabet Streets. Last Tuesday morning, Gavin and his family were at home when smoke began to appear on the hills above their house.

4:09That day, the Santa Ana winds gusted up to 100 miles an hour, equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane fanning the flames. By the afternoon, they decided to evacuate and go to a hotel. When we left, it wasn't so bad. Wow. And we were like, our neighbors were like, yeah, we may stay. Yeah. We're like, okay, we're just, we're gonna go get a hotel room. Mariah and her aunt first noticed a smoke plume at 10.30 a.m. while out on their daily walk. A few hours later, they got a call from the city telling them to evacuate. Mariah grabbed what she could, her passport, her journals, and managed to record a video as she was leaving.

4:49She played it for Catherine. This is behind Pali High as I was leaving. What were you thinking at that point? We're so f***ed. We're so f***ed.

5:08While Gavin and his family waited in the hotel, they were able to get a sense of what was going on back at their house. Their home was outfitted with a security system that logged when things were tampered with. And as the flames reached his home, he got a painful play-by-play of what was happening. And so the first thing, the heat shattered the glass around 10. And then you can see... A.M.? P.M.? P.M. And you can see the progression of things breaking in the house from 10 to 11, whatever. There are all different sorts of alarms going off, like... I'm sure there was... Glass break. smoke sensor, this sensor, two heat sprinkler system that the car was on.

5:50And I'm sitting in a hotel room watching my house get tonight. Oh my gosh.

5:59As of Monday morning, more than 12 ,000 structures have been destroyed by the LA fires. Everything from mobile homes to celebrity mansions, as well as businesses and schools. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to ash. The focus now for people affected, like Mariah and Gavin, is to figure out what they lost. And to do that, they need to see what's left of their homes. Mariah wanted to see if anything had survived and to take a photo for her aunt, who said she'd have to see it to believe it. In Gavin's case, he knew his house had been destroyed. He happened to see drone coverage of his neighborhood on the news, and a neighbor had sent him a picture.

6:41But it looked like there might be one thing left. His car. The silver BMW he's had for 16 years. The irony of my situation is my wife really doesn't like my car. She's like, eh, I don't really want that car anyway. It's fine, it's gone. It's your car. I'm like, if that car survives, I've never given up. It's old as it is, but I'm going to have... It's going to get a sticker that said, I survived the fire. It's never going anywhere. Literally. Another reason Mariah and Gavin were waiting in line was to take photos for insurance claims they planned to file. Our insurance has been good so far, but they're like, we need pictures.

7:19I know. Yeah, right. It's just started. We need you to go in. And it's like, my car, my car might be melted right inside. It may not start. Yeah. The author guy's like, your car looks fine. I can't make a claim until you go start it. I'm like, okay, I need to go and start it. We haven't even, like, we haven't even showed the insurance that my aunt's house is gone. Like, they're asking. Yeah, like, and we have to find. I'm going through my online shopping and collecting receipts there. Like, they want as much as possible. And what do you do with antiques? Yeah. So far, the fires have racked up more than$50 billion in losses.

7:58It's the costliest fire in U.S. history. And that number is likely to grow, considering the fires aren't contained yet. At least 24 people have died. By 3 p.m. on Friday, hours after they first arrived in line, Mariah's car finally made it to the front. When they got there, a police officer was waiting. He told Mariah and Gavin that they'd be escorted up to their homes and that they'd only have a few minutes there. It's a quick, quick, quick in and out. Yeah, we understand. So my car is in there, so I'm getting a ride to drive my car out. I have a picture of it. And if it doesn't work, I'm going to drive him out.

8:34That's fine. — Okay, we will. — It's not to go in and hang out. — My house is gone. — Be very careful. — We will. — Whatever palliables you're going to get, or medicine, it's whatever you can get in and out within, like, five minutes. — Yeah, I'm just taking pictures. — With a few other cars and a police escort, they began driving towards the neighborhood. — How are y 'all feeling right now?

8:58— Numbed. It's like that numbed feeling, right? It's like… — Defeated. — There is no words. They're words that really do it justice. Yeah.

9:11We'll be right back.

9:28As Mariah, Gavin, and Catherine were escorted into the neighborhood by police, They saw the scale of the destruction with their own eyes. Oh, my God, look at that. I don't even recognize it. This is Las Casas. Mariah drove them up towards her street. I literally don't. Yeah.

9:55So crazy. The fire's erratic path turned whole sections of the neighborhood into charred ruins. This one's still smoking. Literally, it's still smoking. And Gavin and Mariah began pointing out the random objects that had survived the fire. How did these trash cans not melt? Incredibly, some houses were still standing. Oh, my God. Yeah, untouched. Three houses. Three houses in a row. The little scooter's still on the porch. Oh, my gosh. Eventually, they turned onto Mariah's street. This street is... Oh my gosh. I mean... Oh my gosh. They drove down a row of burnt houses until Mariah spotted hers.

10:50Okay, we're right here.

10:59Let me know if I can do anything. Thank you.

11:08Mariah got out of the car and walked through the rubble. She called her aunt on FaceTime. It's completely gone, auntie.

11:21So here's the back steps, okay?

11:31I don't even recognize there's the laundry I don't recognize anything I don't even

11:45I can't even itemize I mean I just can't even tell

11:53Oh my God, the shovel! The shovel's fine.

12:02Mariah showed Catherine where her bedroom had been and reflected on the irreplaceable belongings that were now gone. This was my little living area, and then my aunt's living area was over there. Her husband was an amazing woodworker, and he had made this beautiful bed and furniture. There's the safe. I will. Yeah, I'll call you guys and make a plan once I'm out of here. I got to go, though. Bye. Love you. How are you feeling? Oh, my God. I just, I'm just, it's like, it's overwhelming. After taking some photos, Mariah and Catherine got back into the car where Gavin was waiting for them. That looked emotional.

12:58Yeah, that looked a lot. And then it was Gavin's turn. Yeah, so I'm going to take the left hand. Okay, yeah. As expected, Gavin's house was gone. but his BMW was still there. That's my car right there. The car looked remarkably untouched by the fire but the real test was whether it would start. Other residents that had been escorted along with Mariah and Gavin looked on as he gave it a try. And then... Oh my God, how is that even possible? How is that even possible? I cannot believe that. Woo! It was a small victory after a long day. By now, the few minutes Mariah and Gavin had inside their neighborhood were up.

13:55The sun was setting, and it was time to part ways. Thank you. Good luck. Thank you. Oh, my God. My new bestie. That's what we're saying. Bye. Okay.

14:10Are you going to get me right up? Yes. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. Gavin got into his car and drove off to a friend's house where he and his family are now staying. Mariah and Catherine got back into the Honda Civic and started making their own journey out of the Palisades. So how do you feel like your auntie took it? Good. I think she, you know, sees it and she is, yep, confirmed. I don't know if you heard her, but she's like, Mariah, don't cry. My mom's like, Auntie, you should cry. I didn't hear that. Yeah, she's like, don't, because I was crying. She's like, don't cry. But I think she is really good for her to see it, have closure, and just have someone go, a family member go there, you know?

15:03Yeah. I think that was really important.

15:10The Palisades Fire, which has burned more than 23 ,000 acres, is only 14 % contained. Wind gusts are expected to pick up again tonight, and other major fires are still burning around the city. So, while Mariah and Gavin now begin the difficult process of trying to rebuild their lives, other LA residents are still at risk of losing their homes.

15:49That's all for today. Monday, January 13th. The Journal is a co-production of Spotify and The Wall Street Journal. Additional reporting in this episode by Joe Flint.

16:03Thanks for listening. See you tomorrow.