Mud, debris slide splits hillside home that survived Palisades Fire in half
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) - A hillside home overlooking the Pacific Ocean that survived the devastating Palisades Fire has split in half from a landslide directly behind the property.
The home is now one of 10,000 structures destroyed in the costliest wildfire in the history of Los Angeles.
Aerial footage from the 17000 block of Castellammare Drive shows the crumbling home split in two: the result of water runoff from the firefight.
“This is not good,” Bryan Kirkwood, who was hired to provide security for the few homes that survived the firestorm, told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.
Kirkwood gave KTLA a tour of the devastation and pointed out the home just above that burned to the ground, likely where the mudslide originated.
“This is devastating. I didn’t realize it was this bad,” the private security guard said. “I didn’t see the news, got out here and looked and it didn’t hit me until now. Wow. This is a big deal.”
After being forced to evacuate, many Pacific Palisades homeowners hired private security to protect what’s left of their homes and law enforcement has made dozens of arrests in the Palisades evacuation zones.
“I’ve seen some people [out here],” Kirkwood, explained. “I had one guy come up the hill the other day. I said, ‘What are you doing here, who are you? You can’t be here. You’re not authorized to be here.'”
Looters remain a concern for many people who lost their homes in the Eaton and Palisades fires, with some residents even defying evacuation orders and arming themselves to protect their homes.
In a Wednesday press conference, newly elected L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman addressed the issue of looting and burglaries.
“There are people out there who have decided that they are going to take advantage of this tragedy and that they’re going to exploit this crisis for their own personal benefit,” the DA said. “We have sent this warning, and I’ll say it again: The question is not if, but when you are arrested. You will then be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law.”