California Wildfires

Pacific Palisades home left standing by wildfire breaks apart in landslide

Nearby homes were damaged and burned to the ground, but the home appeared largely untouched by the Palisades Fire. Here's what firefighters say about the slide threat after the flames.

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A Pacific Palisades house that was still standing after the Palisades Fire was split in two by a landslide in the neighborhood overlooking the Los Angeles County coast.

A mud slide and wildfire debris appeared to have collapsed and built up behind the home Thursday morning in the 1700 block of Castellammare Drive, near Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard. The home, precariously closed to the edge of the hillside, appeared to have been pushed off its foundation by the build-up of dirt and debris.

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Homes near the house were destroyed, but residence was largely untouched by flames. It was not immediately clear when the landslide happened.

Parts of the streets also collapsed down the hill under the weight of rubble and water.

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Similar problems could develop under more homes, firefighters said. Mud slides and shifting land will remain a concern, especially if the region receives rain.

Without vegetation to soak up water, the risk of slides and flash flooding during rainstorms increases.

A Pacific Palisades house that was left untouched by the Palisades Fire a split in two by a landslide in the neighborhood overlooking the Los Angeles County coast. Video broadcast Thursday Jan. 16, 2025 on Today in LA.

"It's safe to say that the infrastructure under thousands of homes has been compromised," said LAFD Capt. Erik Scott. "With that can come challenges like this if the home is on a steep hillside."

Scott said the department is mapping properties to identify potential dangers. The agency is well over one-third of the way through mapping those properties, Scott said.

"We're not out of the woods, yet," Scott said. "We're going to have to deal with rains and mud slides that come, as well."

The now 23,700-acre fire started Jan. in Pacific Palisades and damaged or destroyed about 5,000 homes. Containment was at 22 percent Thursday morning.

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