Houses reduced to ashes by the Palisades Fire are seen along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California,  on Friday —AFP

PTI WASHINGTON

Situated some 32 km west of downtown Los Angeles, the Palisades neighbourhood known for homes of celebrities, is now down to ashes. "The devastation is absolute. There are small pockets where one or two houses are standing," Moira Shourie, an Indian American resident of Palisades told PTI in an interview from Los Angeles. Forced to evacuate from her home, she and her family along with pets are now staying at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles for the past two days.

Local officials estimate more than 360,000 people have been forced to evacuate. The worst is the Palisade fire that has burned down more than 17,000 acres, with officials describing it as the most destructive fire.

"I heard one fire captain say that it was like trying to stop the tornado. You can't do it. Also, any of the aircraft that usually dropped the fire retardant could not be deployed. So, it was really human beings fighting these fires, and they're powerless. It was pretty devastating," Shourie said.

Many families of Indian origin have lost everything they owned. "Fortunately, so far, the loss of life and limb is limited due to timely evacuations. It will take three-five years for these families to recover, even partially," another Indian origin resident said.

"My family and I moved to Redondo Beach last November so we are not directly affected by the brush fires. For six years, we lived in a beautiful home in the Malibu hills with a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean - most of the 84 lovely homes in our previous neighbourhood have burned to the ground in this blaze. including my former home, he told PTI.