Fires in California: Malibu, a devastated paradise

Its name conjures up images of golden beaches and the Pacific Ocean. Malibu (United States), paradise for Californians, now looks like a ghost town. The immense villas were reduced to ashes, the fire devoured everything in its path, house after house, all along the coast. Cathy and Spencer Emmons’ building is one of the few still intact. The couple returns to their apartment for the first time since the fires. There was no damage inside, it was the only place in the building to have been spared by the fire. “Oh my god, it’s intact! But how can I rejoice when my neighbors have lost everything?”regrets Cathy.

Should we stay or leave this setting that makes us dream so much? Three neighbors are among the diehards. No matter how intense the fires were, they always refused to leave, even when the flames were at the doors of their residence. For Christopher, it is impossible to ever leave Malibu: “There is no other place like here, we are at the end of the continent, there is the Pacific Ocean, this is my home”. “In the most affected neighborhoods, there is still uncertainty for residents, who have not been able to return and many of whom do not know whether their house is still standing or not. It is at this time , when they return, we will have to make the difficult choice for them to leave or to rebuild”explains Camille Guttin, special correspondent in Los Angeles.

Watch the full report in the video above.