As LA needed reinforcements, private firefighters and prisoners answered the call

Fire department officials are already describing the Palisades fire in California as "one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles".   (Reuters: Ringo Chiu)

By Emily Clark and Lucia Stein

There is fire and fury on the streets of one of America's richest suburbs as its high-profile residents come to terms with the loss of their homes and the possible impact fire department funding cuts and cancelled insurance policies might have had on the disaster.

There has also been shock over who answers the call when a firestorm of this magnitude requires as many resources as a city can rally.

In California, it is not unusual for city departments and individuals to rely on private firefighting units. There is also a long history of prisoners helping fight fires, albeit while being paid much less to battle the same blazes.

As the Los Angeles fires grew this week, in the belief no-one from the city was coming to save him, a millionaire real estate developer asked X, formerly known as Twitter, how he could hire private firefighters.

Private firefighting is a booming industry in California and these units have a long history of being on the ground during wildfire events, even hired by insurance companies themselves as an optional extra for policyholders.

They're hired by the public agencies too when the departments need more boots on the ground.

But the response to Keith Wasserman's tweet and the anger directed at the city and state officials signalled something about this fire and the way Californians would respond was different.

Wasserman was roasted online because he had previously complained about paying property taxes — money, his critics promptly pointed out, went towards public services like emergency responders.

Burnt-down beachfront homes were all that were left along this road to Malibu. (Reuters: Mike Blake)

This week, those services were completely overwhelmed.

The death toll in Los Angeles now sits at 10.

At the height of the blaze, six separate out-of-control fires were burning across the city, the fire chief said there were not enough firefighters to contain them and two fronts were moving towards each other, gripping Los Angeles in a pincer movement.

More than 6,879 hectares of Pacific Palisades, an affluent suburb home to a long list of the city's most famous, was on fire and running out of water.

All the money in the world could not save the more than 1,000 homes of Pacific Palisades residents. Fire even scorched the grounds of the Getty Villa itself.

Estimators were already suggesting the damage bill was in the tens of billions while authorities were still rushing to find enough resources to stop the fires engulfing the city.

Answering that call, and joining the nearly 2,000 publicly employed firefighters working across Los Angeles, were private units hired by those who could afford them, and hundreds of incarcerated firefighters risking everything for an extra $US1 ($1.62) an hour.

When fires came to the rich end of town

The Pacific Palisades has long been home to America's uber wealthy, to Hollywood stars, socialites and business titans.

Nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, the area boasts scenic views of the Pacific Ocean and rugged, hilly terrain.

But perhaps its most distinctive feature is not the untouched landscape, but the towering mansions, gated communities and array of boutiques and cafes catering to the rich end of town.

The neighbourhoods affected by the fires span socio-economic demographics. (Reuters: Mike Blake)

To buy a home here will set you back roughly $US3.4 million ($5.4 million) and would-be neighbours include A-list celebrities such as Jennifer Garner, Reese Witherspoon and Ben Affleck.

For decades, as wildfires have threatened the homes and lives of residents living in other parts of LA, the quiet, secluded neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades has been a relative safe haven, untouched by fast-moving blazes.

Until this week when a wildfire tore through the area, forcing thousands to abandon their homes in search of safety.

Once residents spotted flames on the horizon, it was almost too late to leave.

As celebrities posted about losing their homes, several talked about the closeness of the community. There were stories of civilian efforts to help elderly people evacuate and of people who rent condos in the area literally surviving thanks to updates via the building group chat.

The streets of Pacific Palisades might be home to celebrities, but regular life happens there.

Now, aerial photos reveal just how much of the suburb has been destroyed and stories are emerging of just how frenzied the evacuation was.

First published at ABC News, January 11, 2025

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