A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles.
| Photo Credit: AP

Flames rise from the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, California, on October 2, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

Seven years before wildfires tore through opposite ends of the Los Angeles area, the Tubbs Fire in Northern California’s Sonoma County jumped a six-lane freeway and decimated Santa Rosa’s Coffey Park subdivision, a suburban enclave similar to Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

The fire destroyed about 5,000 homes in Santa Rosa and the surrounding area in October 2017, with about 1,500 of those in Coffey Park, making it California’s costliest wildfire disaster at the time. Within three years, 80% of Coffey Park’s destroyed homes were fully rebuilt and occupied, according to local officials.

The journey was long, uncertain and filled with detours, according to interviews with Coffey Park residents who rebuilt and local government officials. Debris removal was a lengthy, cumbersome process; there was contractor fraud, leading to criminal convictions; the minutiae of government approvals at every step caused frustration.

But the experiences of those who rebuilt in Coffey Park and Santa Rosa also showed the power of collective action by residents, and local government success streamlining construction, which offer a template for the Los Angeles-area communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, where more than 16,000 homes and other structures were destroyed by this month’s fires that also killed 28 people.

“Band together and have a group that you go through it with,” said Jeff Okrepkie, who started a nonprofit rebuilding group for Coffey Park, finished his rebuild in early 2020 and later became a Santa Rosa city council member. “It’s always easier to get your questions answered when you’re asking for 100 people, or 500 people.”

‘Not much you can do’

David Kovalevski wants to rebuild his century-old Altadena craftsman house that burned in the Eaton Fire northeast of Los Angeles, but the task looks daunting. “When can we even start?” he said. “It looks like a war zone.”

He is trying to understand what insurance will pay, and how that will compare to new, higher prices as thousands of homeowners in his area try to rebuild at the same time. “How will they even manage in a reasonable timeframe to rebuild so many houses at the same time?” Damian Clopton had many of the same questions in the weeks after he fled his burning Coffey Park home in October 2017 with his wife, Ashley Osbun, four cats and a laptop.

He remembered the “shell shock,” waking up each morning in an unfamiliar house, only to realize a few seconds later his predicament. “Everything just sucks in the beginning,” Clopton said. “You really want to move on and there’s not much you can do.”

That was because, like in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, residents were largely kept out as emergency crews sent cadaver dogs to search for missing people and Hazmat crews removed toxic waste.

Then came debris removal, which started about a month after the fire and took two-and-a-half months to complete. In Sonoma County in 2017, residents could choose a FEMA-contracted debris removal program or hire a private contractor, which was more expensive and required certifications for disposing of hazardous material.

“People think they’re just going to be able to get a dump truck and a backhoe, build their house and move on,” said Steve Rahmn, a Coffey Park resident who completed his rebuild in 2020. “Government’s got its due process.”

The Santa Rosa FEMA program offered the easiest path but suffered from bureaucratic bungles, such as FEMA’s policy of paying contractors based on the weight of debris they carried off site. Crews eager for maximum weight left sunken lots, and the state ultimately had to create a new program to replace homeowners’ missing dirt.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Office of Emergency Services this month announced similar debris removal options for private properties in the wake of the Palisades and Eaton fires. First, Environmental Protection Agency crews must remove hazardous waste, including electric-vehicle batteries, which began earlier this month. Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella has said debris removal could take six months to a year.

U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson, whose district includes Santa Rosa, said he has developed what he calls a “disaster booklet” to impart lessons to representatives from areas affected by wildfires. “There’s no need to reinvent the wheel,” he said, citing pre-approval of building plans as a model for faster reconstruction.

After crews finished debris removal in Santa Rosa, the neighborhood was a blank canvas, meaning residents had to get property lines surveyed again. Potentially every homeowner had to hire a surveyor in order to start drawing up plans for new homes.

That’s where the collective action began. Though scattered around the area and the country, residents kept in touch on social media, social meetings like “Wine Wednesdays” and an area newsletter. Many started meeting in the first few weeks at a local junior college and a performing arts center, said Okrepkie, and the numbers built as the weeks went by.

City planning officials attended the meetings and started making policies directly resulting from those discussions, said Gabe Osburn, Santa Rosa’s director of planning and economic development.

After hearing surveying concerns, city officials helped connect residents with local surveyors to speed up the process, Osburn said.

Discussions from those meetings also led to the city creating a “resilient” zone for fire-damaged areas, with reduced planning and design requirements.

“Anything that would be an impediment from a time standpoint, or a cost standpoint, we analyzed,” Osburn said.

In the wake of the Los Angeles-area fires, Newsom suspended certain state environmental reviews in the fire-affected areas, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed an order creating a new permitting center to be staffed seven days a week in the fire-affected areas.

In Santa Rosa, local builders also sped up the recovery process by drawing up a handful of home designs that were pre-approved by local officials. This allowed many residents to choose from a menu of options and quickly build a house. Some homeowners, like Carol McHale, were not so lucky. She and her partner lost more than $100,000 of their personal savings after a builder asked for money upfront but never completed their rebuild. He was among several contractors who were convicted of fraud in the years after the fire.

McHale started over with another contractor, having to revisit every excruciating decision: Vinyl or hardwood floors, quartz or granite for kitchen counters, what paint color inside?

“We were making $10,000 decisions every day,” McHale said. “Even years later, it makes my stomach hurt.” But out of that painful experience, she also found hope: She and her partner, Erin Murphy, re-committed to their relationship, and will soon celebrate their 25th anniversary.

“People say ‘I don’t know how you did it,'” she said. “You do one day; you do the next one.”

‘I can control this’

The rebuilding process was often an emotional roller coaster, residents said.

Clopton chose to be his own general contractor, making substantial changes to the original design. He still hasn’t fully finished.

“Yes, they’ve gone out of their way to get rid of regulations, at the same time that they pile on other regulations,” he said. “This is a slog.”

Okrepkie said that after debris removal was complete, heavy rains in early 2018 delayed all construction, just as he was hoping to break ground. Work progressed, though, and by late 2019 the drywall was complete on his new home.

“All of a sudden you’re like, ‘This is the exact dimension of the living room I’m going to watch the Super Bowl in,” he recalled. “You see all the bedrooms upstairs and you say ‘I wonder which one my son is going to want?'”

For him, there was a satisfaction that came with rebuilding in the wake of a fire, a sense that he once again had control.

“I couldn’t control losing my house, or moving away, but I can control this,” he said. “I can control what my countertops look like. I think there’s a healthy aspect to that.”

Washington, United States:

As fire-wrecked Los Angeles braces for a visit by President Donald Trump, many are worrying the mercurial Republican will yank the federal support the city needs to get back on its feet.

Trump is due in the shell-shocked city for a few hours on Friday afternoon, where he will be able to see for himself the devastation wrought by the deadly fires — damage whose repair will cost billions of dollars.

Former president Joe Biden was quick to pledge whatever was needed to deal with the disaster in the waning days of his administration.

But almost as soon as the fires erupted, Trump began sticking the boot in, lashing out at California Governor Gavin Newsom, and resurrecting an earlier hobbyhorse about water supplies.

“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let the water run down,” Trump said this week, emphasizing his false belief that there is a valve in northern California that can be turned to release billions of gallons (liters) of water in the rain-starved state.

Funding needed

Threats to withhold federal funds are worrisome to some of those who lost everything in the fires.

“I just can’t fathom that the government is going to let so many people (suffer)… that they’re not going to help them,” Sebastian Harrison told AFP.

This 59-year-old former actor lost his Malibu home in the blaze. He was not insured, unable to afford premiums that topped $40,000 a year.

Without government money, getting his life back on track might prove almost impossible, he fears.

In Altadena, a modest city further inland, as in the upscale Pacific Palisades, thousands of ruined buildings need to be cleared.

Federal cash granted by Biden for 180 days is intended to cover this.

But local authorities fret the White House’s new inhabitant might not honor that check.

“Everybody’s rushing to make sure the funds get here before Trump gets in office,” a local official told AFP last week, on condition of anonymity.

But, the person said, the demography of the disaster — which affected some very wealthy people as well as those of more modest means — gives hope that Trump won’t be able to abandon the region.

“Trump may think of Altadena as a bunch of low-life Democrats, but Pacific Palisades is a different story,” the source said.

“That’s the first zip code where he and other Republicans go to when they want to raise money in Los Angeles.”

“Principle of unity”

Pacific Palisades and the parts of Malibu it abuts are considerably less left-leaning than other parts of Los Angeles.

While the area has its share of Hollywood liberals, it also has property developers, businesspeople and other Republicans.

Among those who lost their homes was Mel Gibson, who Trump has just appointed to an ill-defined role as ambassador to Hollywood.

The new president’s visit to Los Angeles looks set to include a meeting with the state’s governor — whom Trump delights in calling Gavin “Newscum.”

There is no love lost between the two men, but Newsom has taken a more conciliatory approach in recent weeks.

“Historically, federal disaster aid has been provided without conditions, recognizing that political calculations or regional divides should not encumber relief efforts,” he wrote in a letter last week to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“This principle of unity is at the heart of our nation’s resilience.”

But if the federal government cannot be cajoled into stumping up the funds needed for recovery and reconstruction, California says it is prepared to use the courts.

The state’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, said he found it “disheartening” that Trump and his allies were seeking to politicize tragedy.

“We have every expectation that federal action will be taken to support California and the hardworking Californians whose lives and livelihoods are at risk,” he told AFP.

“We have been preparing for the Trump administration for months, and we will not hesitate to act if we believe the president is violating the law.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

California Governor Gavin Newsom. File
| Photo Credit: AP

President Donald Trump on Wednesday (January 22. 2025) threatened to withhold federal disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles unless California leaders change the state’s approach on its management of water.

In a Fox News interview, Mr. Trump repeated false claims that the state’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas. He says the blame for Los Angeles’ struggles to tame some of the deadly fires lies with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a political foe who has called for partnership and mutual respect as the state fights the blazes.

“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let the water run down,” Mr.Trump said.

Trump on reforming Federal Emergency Management Agency

The president leveled the threat as he prepares for the first presidential trip of his second term. On Friday, he will visit Southern California in addition to western North Carolina, which is recovering after Hurricane Helene pummeled the area more than three months ago.

Mr. Trump in the interview also called for reform of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, claiming it is “getting in the way of everything.”

“I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems,” he said. He did not elaborate on his proposed reforms, only saying that the agency is “going to be a whole big discussion very shortly.”

What remains of Chef Daniel Shemtob’s home destroyed by the Palisades Fire is seen, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California
| Photo Credit: AP

Parched Southern California continued to face dangerous winds but could get some badly needed rain this weekend, forecasters said Tuesday (January 22, 2025), dampening the prospects of another round of killer wildfires though even a small amount of precipitation could could create new challenges like toxic ash runoff.

Also Read:What ignited the deadly California wildfires? Investigators consider an array of possibilities

Los Angeles officials were preparing for that prospect even as a small number of residents were allowed to return to the devastated Pacific Palisades area and firefighters battled small blazes that broke out.

Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order to expedite cleanup efforts in burn areas and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants. She ordered crews to remove vegetation, shore up hillsides, install barriers and reinforce roads ahead of the possible weekend rain, which could create mud and debris flows.

“This is to prevent additional damage to areas already ravaged by fire and also to protect our watershed, beaches and ocean from toxic runoff,” Bass said during a news conference.

A 60% to 80% chance of a small amount of rain was forecast for Southern California starting Saturday, with most areas likely getting not more than a third of an inch (0.8 cm), according to Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s office for Los Angeles. However up to an inch (2.5 centimeters) could fall in localized thunderstorms, which would be a worst-case scenario if enough to trigger debris flows on scorched hillsides.

“But even if the rain doesn’t materialize this time, it could be a good practice run for those communities because this will be a threat that they’ll have to deal with for months or years,” Kittell said.

In 2018, Montecito, a town 80 miles (130 kilometers) up the coast from Los Angeles, was ravaged by mudslides after a downpour hit mountain slopes burned bare by a huge wildfire. Twenty-three people died, and hundreds of homes were damaged.

Winds eased somewhat Tuesday afternoon after peaking at 60 mph (96 kph) in many areas, but gusty conditions were expected to return the next two days. Red flag warnings for critical fire risk were extended through 8 p.m. Thursday in LA and Ventura counties.

“If a fire were to get started, it could grow pretty fast,” Mr. Kittell said.

“Our concern is the next fire, the next spark that causes the next wildfire,” said David Acuna, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Another worry was that the two major blazes, the Palisades and Eaton fires, could break their containment lines as firefighters continue to keep watch for hot spots.

Fire engines and water-dropping aircraft allowed crews to swiftly douse several small blazes that popped up in LA and San Diego counties, officials said.

One of them, the Friars Fire, broke out near a San Diego mall and prompted evacuation orders as it sent flames up a hillside toward homes.

Meanwhile evacuation orders were lifted in the Bonsall area of San Diego County for the Lilac Fire, which burned through dry brush after threatening some structures, Cal Fire said. Nearby crews fully contained the Pala Fire, another small blaze.

In Los Angeles the previous day, firefighters quickly extinguished a small brush fire near the iconic Griffith Observatory in a sprawling park overlooking the city. A man suspected of starting the fire was taken into custody, police said.

Fire crews also swiftly extinguished a small blaze near Tujunga and another one in the Granada Hills neighborhood that temporarily closed northbound lanes on Interstate 405.

Southern California Edison preemptively shut off power to more than 60,000 customers in five counties to prevent new fires from being sparked by winds toppling electrical equipment; electricity was later restored to some. The utility was considering precautionary shutoffs for an additional 202,000 customers.

Authorities urged residents to review evacuation plans, prepare emergency kits and be on the lookout for fires and report them quickly.

Mr. Bass also warned that winds could carry ash and advised Angelenos to visit the city’s website to learn how to protect themselves from toxic air during the latest Santa Ana wind event.

The low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and strong winds come as firefighters continue battling the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out Jan. 7. Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 61%, and the Eaton Fire was at 87%.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the causes of the fires but has not released any findings.

Several lawsuits have been filed by people who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, alleging Southern California Edison equipment sparked the blaze. On Tuesday a judge overseeing one of the lawsuits ordered the utility to produce data from circuits in the area where the fire started.

President Donald Trump, who criticized the response to the wildfires during his inaugural address Monday, has said he will travel to Los Angeles on Friday.

A firefighter and his wife were overcome with emotion after he found his wedding ring amid the rubble of their home, now destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires.

Pasadena Fire Engineer Chien Yu, accompanied by CNN’s Erin Burnett, was searching through the rubble when one of his colleagues discovered a silver ring and handed it to him. Upon realising it was his wedding ring, which had been misplaced in the chaos, he showed it to his wife. Overcome with emotion, the couple hugged and cried outside their destroyed home, where they had lived for nearly eight years.

“That’s it-oh my God!” Mr Yu said after fellow firefighters dug through the ruins of his home and found the ring. Asked how he expected his wife would react, Chien Yu said that she had no idea it was missing. Filled with emotion, she said, “What! Oh, my gosh!” and froze for a moment before the two hugged each other.

Speaking to CNN, Mr Yu said when he saw the fire approaching last week, he evacuated his wife and two children before buckling up for a 16-hour shift combating the fire in his neighbourhood. He had no idea his home had been demolished until he got off work that day.

The couple and their two sons have moved, but the kids are having a hard time adjusting. “It’s never going to be the same for the kids,” he said. “They’re doing the best they can, you know?” They frequently ask when they can go back to their house or return to school, which was destroyed in the fire and was located next door, said Mr Yu.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Eaton Fire had burned 14,117 acres of land and is 55 per cent contained as of January 16. The Palisades Fire has burned 23,713 acres and is 27 per cent contained.

At least 27 people have died and the death count may climb further, as per the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Over 30 people are still reported missing.

What is the claim?

Social media users are circulating a 47-second video showing police officers detaining an individual with the claim that he is an Indian national named “Bhuvesh Patel,” who was caught attempting to start a fire for looting in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. 

The video has a text overlaid on it, which reads, “WE HELPED CATCH A GUY TRING TO START A FIRE ON MY BLOCK.” It has surfaced on multiple social media platforms, including X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. An X user posted this video with the caption, “Pajeet, Bhuvesh Patel (Hindu) was caught trying to start a fire with torch blower for looting in areas devastated by fires Woodland Hills, CA.” At the time of writing this check, the post had amassed over 132,000 views and more than 1,000 shares. Archived versions of this and other similar posts can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of similar viral social media posts. (Source: Facebook/Instagram/X/YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, we found that the individual detained in the viral video has been identified as a Mexican immigrant named Juan Manuel Sierra, not an Indian national named “Bhuvesh Patel.”

What are the facts?

We conducted a Google search using relevant keywords and found multiple news reports about the incident, indicating that an individual named Juan Sierra was arrested after the LA neighborhood residents alleged that he was attempting to start a fire.

A news report (archived here) published on January 14, 2025, by the Los Angeles Times, stated that an individual named Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, a.k.a. Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was apprehended on Thursday by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Sierra was caught with a blowtorch and arrested for violating felony probation after “attempting to start a fire” in a West Hills neighborhood near the location of the Kenneth fire.

Furthermore, a Newsweek report, which also identified the arrested individual as Juan Manuel Sierra, included visuals from a different angle similar to the viral video. The video in the report shows a man in a black outfit being confronted by Woodland Hills residents. He is seen near a tree on the sidewalk before being taken into custody by police officers.

Comparison between viral video and Newsweek video. (Source: X/Newsweek/Modified by Logically Facts)

In addition, both the viral and the Newsweek footage showed similar blue, black, and green garbage cans, as well as an individual wearing grey and black attire with long hair and a bicycle on the road.

Comparison of viral and Newsweek videos. (Source: X/Newsweek/Modified by Logically Facts)

We also found an official statement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) corroborating news reports that identified the individual as Juan Manuel Sierra, a Mexican citizen. The ICE statement headlined: “Statement by ICE on a person of interest being held in connection with the California fires” noted that “Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, aka Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, Juan Leva, Leyva Moniker, and Juan Sierra, is a Mexican national who entered the U.S. unlawfully at an unknown date and location without inspection by an immigration official.” It added that the LAPD arrested Sierra on January 10 on a felony probation violation.

Furthermore, a reverse image search on the keyframes from the viral video led us to multiple user-generated videos on social media. An Instagram user, ‘reresellsvroomvrooms’ shared this clip with similar overlaid text (archived here and here) on January 10, 2025, and stated in the comments that they filmed it. 

Logically Facts has contacted ICE and LAPD for a comment, and we will update this fact-check if and when we receive it. 

The verdict

According to multiple reports, the individual in the viral video has been identified as Juan Manuel Sierra, a Mexican immigrant, who was caught attempting to start a fire for looting in Woodland Hills. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also confirmed the same.

(This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Los Angeles:

A huge federal probe was under way Tuesday into what caused the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, with millions in the city clamoring for answers.

Social media has exploded with theories about what started blazes that tore through the city of Altadena and the upmarket neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, killing at least 24 people and leaving whole communities in ruins.

Suggestions include downed power lines, deliberate arson, a stray firework and the reignition of an earlier fire.

But Jose Medina of the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), which is leading the inquiry, said it was too early to say.

“We know everyone wants answers, and the community deserves answers. ATF will give you those answers, but it will be once we complete a thorough investigation,” he told reporters.

The ATF is working with local law enforcement, as well as the Forest Service and the US Attorney’s office, in an operation that will involve around 75 people.

Fire investigators, chemists, electrical engineers and sniffer dogs trained to detect accelerant will be doing painstaking fieldwork to find the seats of the two fires, he said.

A team will also be deployed to gather clues from the local community and online, conducting interviews with possible witnesses.

“We are following all the leads and processing all the physical evidence,” Medina said.

“ATF is determined to leverage every available resource to deliver a thorough and transparent investigation.”

Internet users have leapt on a video posted by trail runners that shows them running away from smoke in hills above Pacific Palisades.

But one of the men, Beni Oren, told the Los Angeles Times they had nothing to do with the fire, and had actually been fleeing for their lives in the video.

“It’s definitely kind of infuriating that people are blaming us,” he told the paper.

“Just knowing as a matter of fact… that we didn’t do it but then seeing the amount of people that have different theories is overwhelming.”

Local media reported that a number of homeowners in the Altadena area have launched a lawsuit against power company Southern California Edison after a video appeared to show flames at the base of an electrical transmission tower.

The utility has said it does not believe its equipment was at fault.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Arcadia, United States:

As deadly flames swept closer and smoke poured into their Los Angeles home, Zahrah Mihm tried to calmly wake her two young children in the middle of the night.

“We gotta go baby. We’re going on a fun adventure,” she told 4-year-old Ethan in her gentlest voice, scooping up her 18-month-old baby and fleeing their house in Altadena.

The neighborhood would soon be totally razed by the inferno. At least 17 died in this community alone, with more bodies being discovered. 

The trauma has been severe for everyone, but is perhaps more acute among evacuated families with young children, many of whom are now desperately seeking diapers, milk formula and clothing.

And then there is the question of how to explain this colossal disaster to children who may sense their parents’ panic, even if they do not fully grasp what is happening.

“When we woke up at four in the morning panicking, he was shaking, scared,” recalled Mihm.

“I was like, ‘Are you cold?’ He’s like, ‘No, mommy, what’s happening? Why is there fire?'” 

The Mihms are sheltering at a friend’s home after struggling to find a hotel.

Even now, Zahrah is trying to distract her son, describing their visit Monday to a donation center in search of clean bedding and diapers as “a super fun party” packed with people, food and toys.

As his mother — still wearing the slippers in which she’d fled — spoke to an AFP reporter, Ethan proudly displayed his new dinosaur pajamas and toy car. 

“I’m trying to take this moment out of his mind, and just be like, ‘It’s all good. Our house got a little owie, we are gonna fix it. It’s gonna be fine,'” she said, out of earshot of him.

‘TraumatiSed’

The donation center in nearby Arcadia — which sprung up organically from one resident’s TikTok post asking for supplies, and has drawn hundreds of volunteers — received so many donations it is turning some away, but baby products remain among the most pressing needs.

“We desperately need diapers,” said Kellie Krievs, a 38-year-old communications director who is volunteering at the makeshift operation in the parking lot of the Santa Anita racetrack.

“A lot of people, the first thing they ask for is diapers and baby formula,” Krievs told AFP.

Beyond those products, mental health is an urgent concern.

“The kids are not alright,” said Chessa Latifi, deputy director of emergency response for NGO Project Hope.

“They’re acting differently and they’re under stress — they know that their friends have lost their homes, and they know that their school is closed.”

She urged parents to maintain whatever normalcy they can, including setting up playdates with friends.

“Just trying to make sure they understand that their community, whether it be physically or emotionally, is still there for them,” she said.

“This entire city has been traumatized, whether your house was burnt down or not,” Latifi added.

Thankfully for the Mihms, their home was only partially burnt.

Neighboring homes on three sides of their property were totally destroyed, as the blaze miraculously swept in an S-shape around them.

But they are still unable to return, with no electricity, powerlines dangling dangerously around the house, and National Guard soldiers sealing off the street.

“We’re OK. We’re just devastated, that’s all,” Mihm said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)