I was on assignment to document the aftermath of the Palisades Fire on Friday, January 10th. With press credentials and full PPE, I was able to enter the fire zone that was being heavily guarded by both LA police and the national guard, mainly because of recent incidents of looting and illegal drone use in the area.
The air was also still very toxic, parts of homes were still smoldering and streets were blocked by downed power lines. As someone who grew up through two major wildfires in my town and having photographed many over the last 8 years, this was by far the worst destruction I had ever witnessed.
It truly did feel like the apocalypse in every way and I couldn’t help but think about the thousands of families that lost so many memories, cherished items and loved ones. It was also incredible to see the work of the incredible firefighters, working for days on end with no rest to contain the fires. I was able to follow a group that drove down on Wednesday January 8th from Glendale, Arizona, who had only slept two hours over the course of 48 hours. All of the firefighters and first responders are real heroes.
Below are some of the images I captured:
The Staircase House: The burned remnants of a home on Billionaires Row on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu sit on the ocean (photo: Jack Spitser)
The winds were so drastic during the fire that manned aircraft had to be grounded and couldn’t fight the fire from above (photo: Jack Spitser)
A burned car sits on a quiet street in Pacific Palisades as the fire continues to burn in the hills of Topanga (photo: Jack Spitser)
Gavin Newsom gives a briefing in Pacific Palisades (photo: Jack Spitser)
Cars were abandoned on Sunset Blvd as their owners fled on foot when the fire got close to the road. This was a very eerie scene, being so quiet and knowing what took place here on such a popular Los Angeles street (photo: Jack Spitser)
The infamous Malibu sign made it through the fires after burning in the 2018 Woolsey Fire (photo: Jack Spitser)
Popular Palisades Village, a staple center of shopping for the Palisades community was heavily impacted by the fires (photo: Jack Spitser)
A Malibu resident in front of his Pacific Coast Highway home (photo: Jack Spitser)
Firefighters from Glendale, Arizona look over what’s left of the Pacific Palisades community (photo: Jack Spitser)
Gelson’s in Pacific Palisades (photo: Jack Spitser)
Iconic coastal restaurant Moonshadows in Malibu. Having eaten here several times, it was very tough to see it completely gone, nearly unrecognizable, I had to do some searching because much of it is no longer existent and a lot of the concrete parking lot had fallen into the ocean (photo: Jack Spitser)
Popular restaurant Reel Inn in Malibu was burned (photo: Jack Spitser)
Stairway to Heaven (photo: Jack Spitser)
Rosenthal Wine Bar on Pacific Coast Highway (photo: Jack Spitser)
Many homes survived the fire in the hills of Malibu despite the hills around them burning (photo: Jack Spitser)
A popular bait and tackle shop on Pacific Coast Highway (photo: Jack Spitser)
Pacific Coast Highway (photo: Jack Spitser)
Firefighters were all over the town beginning cleanup and ensuring all hotspots were being put out (photo: Jack Spitser)
A home partially destroyed along Pacific Coast Highway (photo: Jack Spitser)
The beautiful ocean and it’s wildlife continued on business as usual (photo: Jack Spitser)
The Staircase House (photo: Jack Spitser)
Firefighters from Glendale in the hills of Pacific Palisades (photo: Jack Spitser)
It was heartbreaking seeing viewing the entirety of Pacific Palisades from above, seeing almost no homes remaining (photo: Jack Spitser)
Homes along Pacific Coast Highway (photo: Jack Spitser)
Historic Topanga Ranch Motel did not survive the fire (photo: Jack Spitser)
Beautiful pictures of an horrific time.
Thanks Jack
Thanks for sharing these great but extremely depressing photos.
Well, the worst thing was people that brought in this area and Aladena when housing was a lot cheaper. Now, they can’t afford a house. Also, there was a mobile home park in that area as well.