Los Angeles residents are bracing for further destruction as weather forecasts indicate that winds helping fuel the flames might pick up again.
Reuters
Fardad Khayami
LA braces for stronger winds as fires continue to burn
Altadena resident Michael Storc, who lost his family home, said “rents have gone up a lot.”
“I grew up a poor kid who was renting, so going back to renting is a bit gutting,” he said.
His family wonders if they will ever be able to rebuild on the land where their home once stood, he said.
“We don’t know if it will ever be safe,” he told the BBC.
While many expensive mansions were lost in the fires, Pete Brown, a spokesman for a local council member in Pacific Palisades, said many owners bought the homes some 50 years ago, some for prices around $25,000 (£20,500).
He said those elderly homeowners are now left with nothing.
“Their wealth was in that home,” said Mr Brown.
With additional reporting by Helena Humphry, Christal Hayes, Regan Morris, Gabriela Pomeroy, and John Sudworth in Los Angeles.
