By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-15 13:56:49 | Updated at 2025-01-15 16:47:09
2 hours ago
Some wealthy Los Angeles homeowners have taken up arms to defend their devastated neighborhoods from looters.
Residents of Altadena, where fires demolished more than 2,700 structures, have been patrolling the area, questioning strangers, as they work to keep away criminals who want to take advantage of the chaos.
In some homes, residents have messages that read: 'Owner armed and present.'
In Pacific Palisades, finance boss Ross Gerber, 53, has been sneaking past police tape to check on his house and walk around the neighborhood with his gun and other locals, interrogating anyone they didn't recognize.
'I have no patience for any of them,' Gerber told The Wall Street Journal about edicts telling people to stay away from the burnt homes. 'After you survive this, you don’t care what they say.'
Gerber's home is still standing but has no electricity or safe drinking water so he and his family are staying at the Ritz Carlton in Marina del Rey.
The president of a wealth management firm and some of his neighbors hired a private water truck and driver to sit by their homes in case there were more fires.
Attorney Aaron Lubeley , 53, told The Journal he is one of the few holdouts in the neighborhood ready to defend surviving homes from more fires and looters as officials continue telling people to stay away from the area.
Attorney Aaron Lubeley , 53, is is one of the few holdouts in his neighborhood ready to defend surviving homes, though his own was destroyed
Lubeley reacts as he arrives at his burned home during the Eaton fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles county
Lubeley's home in Altadena is seen before it was destroyed by the Los Angeles fires
'I could be having a Manhattan and a steak, but I couldn’t live with myself if I did that and my neighbor’s house goes up,' said Lubeley, who has been sleeping in his SUV outside his charred home.
In Pacific Palisades, finance boss Ross Gerber, 53, has been sneaking past police tape to check on his house
Amid the devastating fires that have left at least 25 dead, officials have charged more than 40 people with various offenses including burglary.
Santa Monica Police said officers detained ten burglary suspects within the Palisades Fire evacuation zone and six of those arrested were carrying 'burglary tools'.
Three of the ten burglary suspects have been pictured, including Joshua Kaliel Love - who was found carrying a dagger, a window-breaking tool, a mask, gloves, narcotics and a gold window punch, cops said.
Dominic Pacheco Magana, 18, and Miguel Angel Dorantes, 22, are also accused of conspiring to burgle homes after they were pulled over driving a van displaying stolen registration stickers.
Officers scoured the vehicle and found black Nike nylon gloves, a black ski mask and three large freight tote bags and black t-shirts.
Pacheco's phone had the Watch Duty app open. The app monitors fire and evacuation zones.
Gerber has been walking around his neighborhood, with a gun, and shared the above image
'I walked through and checked on neighbors houses and moved throughout what was left of the Palisades to let people know their house was ok,' Gerber wrote alongside the images
'Based on the items located inside the vehicle, the location of the vehicle stop, the ski mask, and the attempt to conceal their identity and avoid detection by removing the license plate, officers arrested the duo for being in the mandatory evacuation area with the specific intent to commit residential burglaries,' police said.
Extreme dry weather conditions due to a prolonged drought, dry vegetation and powerful Santa Ana winds that reached up to 80 mph in some areas this week created the 'perfect storm' for the fires.
National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said dry winds reached speeds of 40mph on Tuesday morning in coastal and valley areas and 50mph in the mountains.
Gusts up to 65mph were forecast to continue through midday Wednesday as firefighters struggle to contain the infernos.
The Palisades Fire, which had razed 23,700 acres as of 10am Tuesday, is only 17 percent contained.
Just north of Pasadena, the Eaton Fire has burned through more than 14,000 acres, and was only 35 percent contained by 10am Tuesday.
The Hurst Fire north of San Fernando is almost extinguished with a 97 percent containment after burning through 800 acres.
A fourth major blaze - the Auto Fire - broke out on Tuesday in Ventura. The latest inferno has burned through 56 acres so far and is zero percent contained, per the Cal Fire heatmap.
