IT’S known as a glamorous neighbourhood where millionaire movie stars live it up in luxury mansions and tourists flock to the beach all year round.
But driving down The Pacific Coast Highway, six months on from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, Malibu feels more like a post-apocalyptic ghost town.
The devastating LA wildfires claimed dozens of lives and destroyed thousands of homes[/caption]
A strip of high-end boutiques visited by celebrities in the Pacific Palisades are still rubble after the destructive LA fires in January[/caption]
Piles of debris, damaged buildings and a burnt Porsche litter the coastal road[/caption]
Along the scenic coastal road, which was shut for months after the fires ravished LA, the view is still one of total devastation.
Damaged structures and piles of debris are all that is left of many of the high end buildings and a burnt Porsche, along with various other vehicles, lie abandoned on the side of the road.
The devastating fires, which broke out on January 7 and raged for three weeks, claimed dozens of lives and destroyed thousands of homes – including those belonging to celebrities such as Mel Gibson and Billy Crystal.
Standing at the site of Paris Hilton’s former Malibu beach house, the huge impact is clearly visible.
All that remains is a section of the home’s foundations, part of a wall and two doors with weeds now growing around the concrete.
It feels as though it will be a long time before Malibu is back to being a magnet for visitors and bustling with big names.
But less than 10 miles away in the Pacific Palisades, one of the neighbourhoods hardest hit by the inferno, residents remain optimistic and are hard at work rebuilding their community.
It was home to many Hollywood stars, including Anna Faris, Miles Teller, Anthony Hopkins and Adam Brody, whose properties burnt to the ground.
Months on, the neighbourhood is only open to residents, construction workers and members of the media.
It still looks like the set of a war movie after the fire destroyed more than 6,000 structures, including homes, businesses, and community landmarks.
The Sun’s Katy Forrester talks with Dennis Quaid, who has been vocal about the City’s response to the disaster, slamming Mayor Karen Bass[/caption]
The historic Starbucks building, which was 100 years old and commissioned in 1924, is in ruins with the remaining walls still covered in black smoke damage.
Firefighter controversy
Hollywood actor Dennis Quaid, famous for his roles in The Parent Trap and The Substance, has several friends who lost their homes, including his agent, and has been vocal about the City’s response to the disaster, slamming Mayor Karen Bass for her failure to “hit the ground running” as the fires raged.
He compared the state of the affluent neighbourhood to the early 20th Century, before studio expansions in the area prompted a building boom.
As we stood close to the rubble in the town centre, he told The Sun: “Right now, looking at it, it’s almost like it was in 1907.
“It’s beginning [the rebuild]. There are a lot of lots for sale publicly, which I think is a good thing.
“It’s a tragedy for people who have lost [everything] but the community needs to come back.
“There is a ray of hope I think. We’re as strong as ever. The City just needs to get out of the way.”
Quaid was in the area to greet billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso who has announced plans to invest.
We paid a visit to Paris Hilton’s former Malibu beach house to survey the damage[/caption]
Paris Hilton’s beachside home in Malibu before the fire[/caption]
All that remains of the star’s home is the foundations, part of a wall and two doors[/caption]
Paris heartbreakingly showed off the damage to her home earlier this year[/caption]
He hired private firefighters to save his shopping centre which is one of the only large buildings to remain intact.
But his actions sparked controversy, with some saying private crews draw resources away from public firefighters.
Quaid thinks he did the right thing.
“He had his own fire department here because he wanted to take pressure off the City in case there ever was a fire so they could handle it,” he said.
“This is a guy who thinks of things.”
He also insisted it’s “not just movie people” who lost their homes, adding: “I know they’re considered rich people and all that but these are also people with mortgages, and they’ve been under hardship.
“And all the people who supported the community; the store owners, small businesses, gardeners, it’s had its impact.”
Caruso, who lost the Los Angeles Mayor’s race in 2022, is reportedly investing around $50million to rebuild and upgrade the area.
Rebuilding from ground zero
Despite the backlash he has previously faced, he was met with positivity from residents this month as he announced that Palisades Village will reopen in mid-2026.
He told The Sun: “We’ve got construction starting now, we’re bringing everything back.
“We’re rebuilding inside of all the stores, the restaurants, the apartments are all getting redone, we’re going to rocking and rolling within a year.
“You did have tourists in the summer time because people were visiting Malibu, the beach, and whatnot, and they will come back, they just need a place to go. And that’s what we need to do, give them that.”
The tragedy also affected the area of Altadena in east Los Angeles, where a fire burnt for more than 20 days.
Asked if there is any hope for the other areas, Caruso said: “Absolutely. That’s what I think is really important about this announcement because what’s happening here, it will happen in Malibu, it will happen in Altadena.
Anthony Hopkins’ mansion was burned to the ground in the blaze[/caption]
The star’s beautiful home stood on the cliffs[/caption]
Sir Anthony bought the four bed mansion back in 2021[/caption]
“When a retailer says, ‘I’m willing to invest in a community that has basically been devastated’ that means they believe it’s coming back.
“Malibu is open this summer. The highway is open. Go support those businesses, the beaches are as beautiful as ever.”
During this year’s holiday season, the Palisades Village will bring back its annual Christmas tree lighting and Menorah celebration so the community can reunite.
Caruso will also reconstruct the public park and fund the revitalisation of the streetscapes, including the sidewalks.
Corinne Verdery, CEO of Caruso’s business, said the announcement “reinforces our long-term commitment to the Palisades.”
She explained, “Our goal is to restore Palisades Village and the surrounding area as a vibrant and welcoming destination once again for residents, workers, and visitors – a place that reflects our community’s resilience and optimism for the future.”
Fashion designer and business owner Elyse Walker tragically lost her original store after 25 years to the fires but is rebuilding her flagship.
She said: “I opened the first elysewalker location in the Pacific Palisades because I saw the huge opportunity to bring fashion retail to the area.
“I knew that I wanted a store to feel like a home base within the community.
“More than a store, it was where friends and family got together to connect, celebrate, and of course, shop, elysewalker Pacific Palisades epitomized that.
“Re-opening in the Palisades and moving to the Village is incredibly exciting and important as we focus our efforts on rebuilding and supporting this incredibly strong and resilient community.”
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester’s home in the Pacific Palisades is cleared and ready to rebuild after the LA fires[/caption]
Mel Gibson’s home and cars were consumed by flames[/caption]
Five years of misery
Over in Malibu, it’s likely to take a lot longer to get things moving, while local police are still trying to protect the community from squatters.
Jeff Schmucker, senior superintendent with Santa Barbara-based Clear Construction, spoke to The Sun as he was working on site.
Despite Caruso’s optimism, Schmucker feels it could be up to five years until Malibu is thriving once again, as he believes only 50 per cent of homeowners will rebuild, while the rest will sell their lots.
He told The Sun: “We’re already submitting plans to build but I don’t know how fast that process will be. We’ve got seven maybe eight houses signed up now.
Malibu is open this summer. The highway is open. Go support those businesses, the beaches are as beautiful as ever.
Rick Caruso
“We’ll start the first one by October, as soon as we get permits we’ll start. It would take anywhere between a year and a half to three years depending on the size.”
It can take up to 18 months to just get a building permit in Los Angeles, which home owners are pushing to be reduced as many are refusing to wait years to return.
Asked if he’s seen any construction work in Malibu so far, he said, “Nobody’s even started yet. I saw one going up in the Palisades and that guy had just built.
“As soon as it burnt down they just resubmitted the exact same plans that they’d just finished.”
Quaid was in the area to greet billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso who has announced plans to invest[/caption]
Despite Joel Auiz’s business not burning down, he says it’s been a huge struggle with the Pacific Coast Highway being closed for months[/caption]
Palisades Village will reopen in mid-2026 as it still tries to come to terms with the damage[/caption]
He said many of the residents were underinsured and are being left thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Many of the iconic restaurants and cafes in Malibu remain closed, while some have burnt down completely and will not reopen.
But there are still a few local owners who are pushing forward and are adamant business will one day be booming again.
Joel Auiz is the owner of The Country Kitchen on Pacific Coast Highway, which has been a popular spot for four decades.
£200k loss
He said despite the business not burning down, there was a lot of damage and with the Pacific Coast Highway being closed for months it’s been a huge struggle.
“When I saw the situation 11 days after the fires there was no electricity and I had to throw everything away,” he said.
“We reopened in March but business has been down about 60 per cent. It got better this past weekend when the PCH reopened but it’s slow.
“Hopefully things get better. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to rebuild, everyone has to get new permits, septic tanks, so many things.
“I hope tourists do show up this summer, people from other states and other countries help a lot. We’ve already lost more than $200,000, we were closed for 50 days.
“It’s sad to see the destruction and the lives lost. To rebuild all this is going to take a while. But thank God we are still here, it could be worse.
“We are grateful and ready to serve people. Our breakfast burritos, we serve those all day, the burgers are good, good sandwiches, homemade salsas as well.”
While all of the communities affected by the wildfires have a long road ahead, it’s clear so many do not want to give up hope.
But they can’t bring life back to some of the most beautiful areas of the city alone.
The message is clear; they need help from the City, investors with big pockets, and they need tourists to take a chance on them.
