00:00We all watched horrified as huge wildfires tore through Los Angeles, killing more than 25 people,
00:06destroying thousands of homes and forcing more than 100,000 people to flee.
00:11Well, six months on, Los Angeles resident Patsy Palmer has been finding out how the community is starting to rebuild.
00:30It is just so shocking. I just can't believe how far I'm driving, how many streets I'm turning into and just, it's, I mean, it's every single house.
00:50It makes you feel so sad. With a friend's house burned down here, I can't even really recognise the streets. Everything is just completely gone.
01:05It is one of the most beautiful places ever.
01:09Yeah, it's got, it's one of the only places in LA I've ever felt, felt like back home.
01:14It's like a little English village, really.
01:16Yeah, so you know.
01:17Everyone knows each other and.
01:19Yeah, they do.
01:20So you don't want to leave this area. I mean, it's hard because the majority of, of the whole place is gone.
01:28I don't want to leave this. I think everyone's going to come back.
01:30Yeah, I think so.
01:31I think so. Let me show you the garage.
01:34Yes. Can you make me a cup of tea?
01:35Yeah.
01:37Because honestly, I know like, we're having a bit of a joke, but it's, that is it, isn't it?
01:43It makes you really question everything there is to think about your home.
01:47What amazed me was when I came up here and it had all burnt down. I thought I'd find a bunch of stuff in the rubble and there was just nothing. The intensity of the heat must have been so bad that there was just nothing left.
01:59Stuff I found was a dishwasher over there that had cups and stuff in it from the day before I filled up the dishwasher.
02:06When I drove back, came back from London, my husband said, look, you need to prepare yourself because you've never seen anything like it.
02:14And it was still really bad.
02:15I just cried. I was like, I can't believe this, actually. It was such a surreal thing.
02:21I find the stuff you miss isn't your valuable stuff. You feel like you've lost all your memories because it's the stuff you've picked up over the years.
02:31And then after a while, you sort of remember, actually, it sounds cheesy, but you carry them all with you.
02:37We are opposite the iconic Malibu Pier that didn't burn down, so we're all so grateful for that.
02:45And Lisa, you're our beloved Malibu doctor for years and years, but sadly, you guys did lose your home.
02:53Malibu has a broken heart right now.
02:55Oh.
02:55And, you know, that's the only way I can describe it. That's the way I feel.
02:59That's the way all my neighbors feel when I see them.
03:02You know, it's just such a tragedy. It should never happen.
03:05You can't describe, you know, what you feel or what you would even anticipate feeling,
03:11but we feel displaced and lost so often when this has been our home for decades.
03:19But we have so much hope at the same time, and we're so grateful.
03:23Has there been a moment? Maybe there still is, because it is just all so crazy that you ever thought about ever leaving this area?
03:30Oh my gosh.
03:32I think I have multiple times. I say it's going to take seven to eight years.
03:36Oh my gosh.
03:37To rebuild it.
03:37No.
03:39At least it's more two to three years.
03:41I say two years. Our goal is by Christmas next year, 2026.
03:48So many of my favorite restaurants have been destroyed.
03:51But this one Malibu institution, Gladstones, reopened its doors at the weekend, and we are so happy that it has.
03:58This is the wall to remind us of all the restaurants that we lost.
04:03I feel so choked up.
04:05Yeah, someone's going to cry too.
04:06I know, we do. It's just so sad.
04:09It is so sad.
04:10I was just looking, and these are memories.
04:12They are restaurants, but for us, they hold so many memories.
04:18It's hard to believe for all of us that it has been six months since the fires.
04:22How did it feel, bringing everyone back together?
04:25It's been a long six months for us, and when you look back at the devastation and destruction, we never knew when and if we'd reopen.
04:33It was so traumatic, but what I did feel was an incredible sense of community.
04:38I don't think anyone in this area is untouched by a friend, a colleague that's lost a lot.
04:43Restaurants are part of the fabric and the environment where you are.
04:46It's only been two, three days, and people are just coming out, and we're really delighted to have them here.
04:53Well, good luck to everyone who's trying to rebuild their lives in Los Angeles.
