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

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Journal – "Their L.A. Neighborhood Burned. Two Residents Find What’s Left."

Episode Details:

• Title: Their L.A. Neighborhood Burned. Two Residents Find What’s Left.
• Hosts: Kate Linebaugh, Ryan Knutson, Jessica Mendoza
• Release Date: January 13, 2025
• Production: Spotify and The Wall Street Journal

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Introduction

In this poignant episode of The Journal, hosts Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson, accompanied by Jessica Mendoza, delve into the devastating wildfires that have ravaged the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. The episode spotlights two residents, Mariah Lanfar and Gavin Bates, who return to their burnt neighborhood to assess the destruction and confront the loss of their homes and memories.

The Aftermath of the Wildfires

Returning to a Devastated Home

On a chilly Friday morning, a convoy of cars forms outside the Pacific Palisades as authorities begin allowing residents to return and evaluate the wildfire damage. Mariah Lanfar, 24, accompanied by her neighbor Gavin Bates and their colleague Catherine Sayre, is among those heartbroken by the destruction.

• Mariah Lanfar [00:35]: “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. So this is where our house is.”

At the backseat, Gavin expresses his reluctance to return, reflecting the emotional turmoil faced by many residents.

• Gavin Bates [00:57]: “I just need to. It's hard.”
• Mariah Lanfar [00:59]: “Yeah.”

Navigating the Restricted Access

Access to the neighborhood was tightly controlled, with police escorts to prevent looting and only a few cars allowed in at a time. The slow and controlled entry underscored the severity of the situation.

• Mariah Lanfar [01:14]: “Maybe I should roll up the window. I think it's gonna be.”
• Gavin Bates [01:16]: “It's gonna be miserable.”

A Glimpse into Pre-Fire Lives

Mariah’s Home and Heritage

Mariah lived with her 80-year-old great aunt in a quaint white single-story family home, rich with history and family memorabilia.

• Mariah Lanfar [03:14]: “My aunt bought her house first with her first husband, and then they got a divorce and my aunt bought the house from him.”

She reminisces about the house filled with her aunt’s art collection and handmade furniture, a testament to generations of family memories.

• Mariah Lanfar [03:34]: “And my Obachan would always talk about, they're building too far into the mountains or building too far into the mountains. Something's gonna happen, you know, and here we are at the edge of the mountain, and yeah, it's Destina.”

Gavin’s New Beginnings

Gavin, who moved to the neighborhood in 2010 with his wife and two children, shares his experience of the wildfire’s sudden onset.

• Gavin Bates [04:25]: “When we left, it wasn't so bad.”
• Mariah Lanfar [04:27]: “Wow.”

Despite initial signs that seemed manageable, the fierce Santa Ana winds forced their timely evacuation.

Confronting Loss and Seeking Closure

Assessing the Damage

Both Mariah and Gavin deal with the harrowing reality of their homes’ destruction. Mariah’s emotional farewell includes capturing the remnants of her once lively home.

• Mariah Lanfar [04:55]: “This is behind Pellehigh as I was leaving. What were you thinking at that point? We're so. We're so.”

Gavin, meanwhile, monitors the destruction of his home remotely through his security system, witnessing each devastating moment.

• Gavin Bates [05:28]: “And so the first thing, the heat shattered the glass around 10. And then you can see am, pm, pm. And you can see the progression of things breaking in the house from 10 to 11, whatever, you know, all different sorts of alarms going off.”

Insurance and Documentation Challenges

Both residents emphasize the complexities of filing insurance claims amidst the chaos.

• Gavin Bates [07:18]: “Our insurance has been good so far, but they're like, we need pictures.”
• Mariah Lanfar [07:23]: “I know. Yeah.”

Mariah struggles with documenting irreplaceable items, highlighting the emotional and logistical hurdles faced by survivors.

A Glimmer of Hope Amidst Ruins

Unexpected Survivals

While most structures are reduced to ash, Mariah and Gavin find small miracles amidst the devastation. Mariah discovers three untouched houses, and Gavin’s cherished 16-year-old BMW remains miraculously intact.

• Gavin Bates [06:51]: “The irony of my situation is my wife already doesn't like my car. She's like, eh, I don't really want that car anyway. It's gone. It's like. I'm like, if that car survived, I've never given up that car. It's old as it is, but I'm gonna have. It's gonna get a sticker that said, I survived the fire and it's going anywhere, literally.”

Emotional Closure

Returning to their neighborhood provides Mariah and Gavin with a sense of closure, despite the overwhelming loss. Mariah’s conversation with her aunt over FaceTime underscores the emotional weight of the day.

• Mariah Lanfar [15:06]: “My auntie took it. Good. I think she, you know, sees it and she is. Yep, confirmed. It's gone. I don't know if you heard her, but she's like, mariah, don't cry.”

Gavin echoes the deep emotional impact, expressing feelings of numbness and defeat.

• Gavin Bates [09:02]: “It's like that numbed feeling, right? It's like defeated. There are no words. No words that really do it justice.”

The Broader Impact and Ongoing Struggles

As Mariah and Gavin begin the arduous task of rebuilding their lives, the podcast highlights the widespread devastation caused by the fires, which have destroyed over 12,000 structures and resulted in significant financial losses exceeding $50 billion—the costliest fire in U.S. history.

• Ryan Knudson [07:30]: “So far, the fires have racked up more than $50 billion in losses. It's the costliest fire in U.S. history. And that number is likely to grow considering the fires aren't contained yet.”

With the fires only 14% contained and more gusts expected, the threat to other residents remains imminent, painting a grim picture of the ongoing disaster.

Conclusion

The Journal poignantly captures the human side of the L.A. wildfires through the experiences of Mariah Lanfar and Gavin Bates. Their stories of loss, resilience, and the quest for closure offer listeners a deeply personal glimpse into the broader catastrophe, emphasizing the profound impact of natural disasters on individual lives and communities.

Additional Reporting: Joe Flint

Listen to the latest episodes and explore more stories about money, business, and power at The Journal on Spotify.

Transcript

[Mariah Lanfar]

How far back are you? I am behind that truck. Yeah, just behind the truck.

[Ryan Knudson]

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.

[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. So this is where our house is.

[Ryan Knudson]

With her was a man from her neighborhood named Gavin Bates.

[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.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Totally. I feel the same way.

[Gavin Bates]

I just need to. It's hard.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knudson]

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.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Maybe I should roll up the window. I think it's gonna be.

[Gavin Bates]

It's gonna be miserable.

[Ryan Knudson]

Also in the car was our colleague Catherine Sayre, who Mariah said could tag along to report on the damage.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Well, this is more fun than being.

[Ryan Knudson]

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

[Catherine Sayre]

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[Ryan Knudson]

In 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.

[Mariah Lanfar]

My aunt bought her house first with her first husband, and then they got a divorce and my aunt bought the house from him.

[Ryan Knudson]

Mariah said it was filled with a lifetime of possessions, like her aunt's art collection and handmade wooden furniture. Several generations of Mariah's family lived in the neighborhood, including her grandma, who she calls her Obachan.

[Mariah Lanfar]

And my Obachan would always talk about, they're building too far into the mountains or building too far into the mountains. Something's gonna happen, you know, and here we are at the edge of the mountain, and yeah, it's Destina.

[Ryan Knudson]

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. That 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.

[Gavin Bates]

When we left, it wasn't so bad.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Wow.

[Gavin Bates]

We were like. Our neighbors were like, eh, we may stay. Yeah, we're like, okay, we're gonna go get a hotel room.

[Ryan Knudson]

Mariah and her aunt first noticed a smoke plume at 10:30am 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. She played it for Katherine.

[Mariah Lanfar]

This is behind Pellehigh as I was leaving. What were you thinking at that point? We're so. We're so.

[Ryan Knudson]

While 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.

[Gavin Bates]

And so the first thing, the heat shattered the glass around 10. And then you can see am, pm, pm. And you can see the progression of things breaking in the house from 10 to 11, whatever, you know, all different sorts of alarms going off. Like, I'm sure there was glass break.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Oh, God.

[Gavin Bates]

Smoke sensor, this sensor 2 heat, you know, sprinkler system comes on.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Oh, my God.

[Gavin Bates]

And I'm sitting in a hotel room watching it, my house get to me.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Oh, my gosh.

[Ryan Knudson]

As 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. But it looked like there might be one thing left. His car, a silver BMW he's had for 16 years.

[Gavin Bates]

The irony of my situation is my wife already doesn't like my car. She's like, eh, I don't really want that car anyway. It's gone. It's like. I'm like, if that car survived, I've never given up that car. It's old as it is, but I'm gonna have. It's gonna get a sticker that said, I survived the fire and it's going anywhere, literally.

[Ryan Knudson]

Another reason Mariah and Gavin were waiting in line was to take photos for insurance claims they plan to file.

[Gavin Bates]

Our insurance has been good so far, but they're like, we need pictures.

[Mariah Lanfar]

I know. Yeah.

[Gavin Bates]

But they're like, we need you to go in. And it's like, my car. My car might be melted right inside. It may not start.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Yeah.

[Gavin Bates]

The auto 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 stop it.

[Mariah Lanfar]

We haven't even. Like, we haven't even showed the insurance that my aunt's house is gone. Like, they're. They're asking. Yeah, like, and we have to find. I'm going through my online shopping and collecting receipts there. Like, they want every. They want as much as possible. And what do you do with antiques? Yeah.

[Ryan Knudson]

So far, the fires have racked up more than $50 billion in losses. It'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 3pm 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.

[Police Officer]

It's a quick, quick, quick in and out.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knudson]

A lot of people raise their turn.

[Gavin Bates]

So my car is in there. So I'm getting a ride to drive my car out. I have a picture of it, and.

[Mariah Lanfar]

If it doesn't work, I'm gonna drive him out.

[Police Officer]

That's fine. When you go in your house.

[Mariah Lanfar]

We will.

[Police Officer]

It's not to go in and hang out.

[Gavin Bates]

My house is gone.

[Police Officer]

Be very careful.

[Mariah Lanfar]

We will.

[Police Officer]

Whatever valuables you're gonna get or medicine, it's whatever you can get in now. Within, like five minutes.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Yeah, I'm just taking pictures.

[Ryan Knudson]

With a few other cars and a police escort, they began driving towards the neighborhood.

[Mariah Lanfar]

How are y'all feeling right now? Numbed.

[Gavin Bates]

It's like that numbed feeling, right? It's like defeated. There is no words. No words that really do it justice.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knudson]

We'll be right back. Taxi.

[Narrator]

Imagine hailing a cab with no one in the driver's seat.

[Police Officer]

Welcome. Please buckle your seatbelt and enjoy the ride.

[Narrator]

Self driving car company Waymo has spent billions developing its tech.

[Mariah Lanfar]

What's changed is machine learning. I'm not really thinking about who's driving.

[Narrator]

But will this big bet pay off for Waymo and its parent, Google owner, Alphabet? Find out in Driverless. Waymo and the Robo Taxi Race, a new series in the WSJ's Future of Everything feed.

[Ryan Knudson]

As Mariah, Gavin, and Catherine were escorted into the neighborhood by police, they saw the scale of the destruction with their own eyes.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Oh, my God. Look at that. I don't even recognize it. This is Las Casas.

[Ryan Knudson]

Mariah drove them up towards her street.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Is this where you're going? I really don't. Yeah. So crazy.

[Ryan Knudson]

The fire's erratic path turned whole sections of the neighborhood into charred ruins.

[Gavin Bates]

This one's still smoking.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Literally still smoking.

[Ryan Knudson]

And Gavin and Mariah began pointing out the random objects that had survived the fire.

[Mariah Lanfar]

How did these trash cans not melt?

[Ryan Knudson]

Incredibly, some houses were still standing.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Oh, my God.

[Gavin Bates]

Like what?

[Mariah Lanfar]

A house?

[Gavin Bates]

Untouched.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Three. Three houses.

[Gavin Bates]

Three houses in a row.

[Mariah Lanfar]

The little scooter still on the porch.

[Ryan Knudson]

Eventually, they turned onto Mariah's street.

[Mariah Lanfar]

This street is decimated. I mean, oh, my gosh.

[Ryan Knudson]

They drove down a row of burnt houses until Mariah spotted hers.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Okay, right here.

[Gavin Bates]

Let me know if I can do anything.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Thank you.

[Ryan Knudson]

Mariah got out of the car and walked through the rubble. She called her aunt on FaceTime.

[Mariah Lanfar]

It's completely gone, Auntie. So here's the back steps. Okay. I don't even recognize. Recognize. There's the laundry I don't recognize anything. I don't even. I don't even. I can't even itemize. I mean, I just can't even tell. Oh, my God. The puff. The shovel. The shovel's fine. The shovel survived.

[Ryan Knudson]

Mariah showed Catherine where her bedroom had been and reflected on the irreplaceable belongings that were now gone.

[Mariah Lanfar]

This was my little living area, and then my aunt's living area was over there. Her husband was a amazing woodworker, and he had made this beautiful bed and furniture. And there's the safe.

[Gavin Bates]

Yeah. Take some photo to the corporate.

[Mariah Lanfar]

I will. Yeah, I'll call you guys. I'll call you guys and make a plan once I'm out of here. I gotta go, though. Bye. Love you. How are you feeling? Oh, my God. I just. I'm just like. It's overwhelming.

[Ryan Knudson]

After taking some photos, Mariah and Catherine got back into the car where Gavin was waiting for them.

[Gavin Bates]

That looked emotional.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Yeah, that was a lot.

[Ryan Knudson]

And then it was Gavin's turn.

[Gavin Bates]

Yeah. So we're going to take a left here.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Okay.

[Ryan Knudson]

Yeah. As expected, Gavin's house was gone, but his BMW was still there.

[Gavin Bates]

That's my cow right there.

[Mariah Lanfar]

I was gonna say.

[Gavin Bates]

Yeah.

[Ryan Knudson]

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.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Oh, my God. How is that even possible? How was that even possible? I cannot believe that.

[Ryan Knudson]

It was a small victory after a long day. By now, the few minutes Mariah and Gavin had inside their neighborhood were up. The sun was setting, and it was time to part ways.

[Gavin Bates]

Thank you.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Good luck.

[Gavin Bates]

Thank you.

[Mariah Lanfar]

Oh, my God. My. My new bestie. We're saying bye. Okay. Are you gonna give me a ride out? Yes. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. I'm gonna go that way.

[Ryan Knudson]

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.

[Mariah Lanfar]

So how do you feel? Like your auntie took it. Good. I think she, you know, sees it and she is. Yep, confirmed. It's gone. 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.

[Gavin Bates]

Because I was crying.

[Mariah Lanfar]

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? Yeah, I think that was really important.

[Ryan Knudson]

The 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. That'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. Thanks for listening. See you tomorrow.