A view of the devastation of the Los Angeles fires from the air is “like the end of the world”

From the sky covered in rising smoke, the houses that were destroyed by fire at the beginning of the famous Malibu coast appear very few, while the fire tends to settle among the rows of luxury villas, but the scene is completely different as you approach the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

This neighbourhood, ravaged by a massive fire, is littered with charred ruins still billowing with smoke, with entire streets whose homes have been swept away by the flames.

The main fire among the many hotspots raging in the Los Angeles area has so far consumed about 7,700 hectares in Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

An initial estimate indicates that “thousands” of buildings were destroyed, said fire brigade official Christine Crowley during a press conference on Thursday.

The authorities have so far refrained from confirming whether or not human remains have been found twice at the sites of this fire.

“We can confirm that the Pacific Palisades fire is one of the most devastating natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” Crowley stressed.

Access to this area is almost completely prohibited, even for residents who have been evacuated since Tuesday. Journalists from Agence France-Presse were able to fly over it by helicopter and see the scene of massive destruction.

In some of these areas, which are highly sought after in Malibu, especially by celebrities, only the skeletons of previously majestic buildings remain, indicating the extent of the damage.

The price of some of these luxury homes is estimated at millions of dollars, but they have been completely wiped out.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood overlooking Malibu and its beachfront homes appears desolate.

Some houses escaped the fire and some streets were completely spared. But as we approach the south of the neighborhood, it becomes clear that magnificent houses have become cemeteries.

Along the streets, all that remained of the huge family homes were chimneys or tree trunks charred by the fire.

During a press conference on Thursday, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that his passage through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood to inspect his sister’s house was “a scene like the end of the world.”

He stressed, “I have not witnessed a disaster like this befall our city since the 1990s, when Los Angeles was struck by fires, floods, earthquakes, and riots.”

“This is crazy. All those houses have disappeared,” said Albert Azouz, a helicopter pilot who has been flying overhead for nearly a decade, observing the devastation from the air.