Pacific Palisades resembled the set of an apocalyptic film, with charred houses, raging fires, and billowing smoke. Residents of the once-picturesque neighborhood described driving through a surreal landscape that felt more like a war movie, with themselves cast as the unwilling protagonists.
“We were fleeing for our lives,” said David Levine, a Pacific Palisades resident of over 20 years. “The smoke was so thick it was hard to see the road. We barely made it out. Our entire life was left behind. We managed to grab some clothes, my laptop, and a few other items. It wasn’t until we were driving away that we realized how much we had forgotten to take—but by then, it was too late. Our house is gone.”
Levine, a retiree, drove with his wife to Santa Barbara to stay with friends. “I’m grateful that we made it out of there. It was the scariest day of our lives, but it’s going to take a long time for us to recover from this loss.”
Dorit Rotenberg, 66, has lived in Pacific Palisades for over 20 years. On Tuesday morning, she evacuated her home with her husband, their black Labrador and cat.
“We weren’t prepared to leave on such short notice,” she said. “I packed a few clothes, few pair of shoes and important documents, and we left. Some of our neighbors refused to evacuate, hoping to protect their homes. They only left when firefighters forced them to, and later told us our house had burned down.”
Now staying with friends in Thousand Oaks, Rotenberg is grappling with the loss.
“It’s hard to process that we no longer have a home,” she said. “At our age, starting over is difficult. We’ve left behind an entire lifetime in that house.”
Rabbi Zushe Cunin, leader of the Chabad in Pacific Palisades, described the devastating impact on his congregation. The storage structure was burned along with 16 Menorahs and vehicles used to transport children and elderly to and from their homes.
“Many members of our synagogue lost their homes in the fires,” he said. “Throughout the night and into Tuesday, I tried reaching out to the 250 members of our community, but I couldn’t get through to many of them.”
The rabbi added that some members initially refused to evacuate, desperate to protect their homes from the advancing flames. He was able to ask firefighters to rescue a 90-year-old couple who stayed behind in one of the buildings. Another elderly man who was the only one to remain in his building was also rescued by firefighters.
On Tuesday morning, the director of the Jewish Early Childhood Center of Chabad had her teachers call parents to pick up the 100-plus children. The parents rushed back, and the teachers carefully crossed the street across PCH to reunite them with their parents.
Over 5,000 Chabad rabbis and other rabbis from synagogues all over L.A., had called offering help. Chabad of Bel Air had offered shelter to anyone affected by the fires. Six families spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights there; others just came over to take a shower and charge their phones before arranging for a place to stay.
Liat Stenberg moved to Los Angeles with her family seven years ago and had been renting a home in Pacific Palisades. “We had just returned from a vacation with my parents, who were visiting from Israel,” Stenberg said. “Our suitcases were still packed—mostly with swimsuits and beachwear.”
When the evacuation order came, Stenberg left with her parents, her son—a lone soldier visiting from Israel—and her 11-year-old daughter.
“I took a few photo albums and our computers before leaving,” she said. “My husband and older daughter were still in Miami, where she’s training for the Olympics in windsurfing.”
By the time they fled, the fire had already reached their backyard.
“Our neighborhood in Marquez was the first to burn,” Stenberg said. “I don’t know anyone whose house survived. The entire area was engulfed in flames.”
Noa Goldberg, a resident of Highland Village in Pacific Palisades, evacuated her townhome at 3 p.m., when the flames were getting very close. “I tried to leave earlier, but the roads were gridlocked,” Goldberg said. “Traffic wasn’t moving, and I was panicking. My husband was out of town, so I was alone with my 12-year-old. I waited for the firefighters to clear a path before I could leave.”
The scene as she drove out was harrowing.
“Houses were burning on all sides,” she said. “My favorite restaurants, the grocery store, CVS, the supermarket—everything was gone. The destruction was total. It felt like I was driving through hell.”
Dina, who chose not to provide her full name, lost her home in Malibu. This was the couple’s second home; they live in a penthouse in Los Angeles and spend weekends and holidays in Malibu. A few years ago, they had completely remodeled the house. “It’s total devastation. We lost everything we had there,” she said. “When we saw the news about the fires, we drove there, but we had to take different routes because the firefighters had blocked the roads. By the time we finally made it, the house was gone. Completely.”
Dina, a mother of four grown children, shared that the house contained valuable artwork and countless memorabilia collected over the years. “We stayed there just last weekend. Friends came over, and it was so peaceful and fun. We have so many memories there. I’m heartbroken.”
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