When fires broke out in LA, this Australian dad had to evacuate with his baby girl on a bike

In the affluent Westside of Los Angeles, the Pacific Palisades community was hit by a fire, and Australian Joel House had only 30 minutes to escape on his bicycle with his 18-month-old daughter. The situation changed so quickly that he and his wife, Maria, had no time to prepare.

“It wasn’t just smoke, but billowing clouds of smoke, a tsunami of smoke, it was very scary, it looked like it was going to engulf the whole street,” Maria told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She was worried about the smoke and drove to pick up their three-year-old daughter from school. By the time she arrived at the school, she could no longer return home. “I just had to keep driving towards Santa Monica, there was no going back, honestly, if I had turned around, we probably would have lost our car.”

Joel, alone with his 18-month-old daughter, had to escape by bicycle. “I got on my bike and started heading out, I looked up at the hills and saw the buildings on fire,” Mr. House said. “So I rode my bike, knocked on a few neighbors’ doors, making sure they were leaving too.” He added, “It was terrifying, I’m sometimes grateful that Maria and our eldest daughter were safe, but then I think, ‘Wow, the flames were just across the road.’”

Since Pacific Palisades is still declared a danger zone, residents have been unable to return home until now. The couple returned to their residence with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to find their home completely consumed by fire. Maria, wiping away tears, said she never imagined their American dream would be reduced to ashes. “The fire started in the highlands. It reacted so quickly, we thought, ‘Okay, for safety reasons, because of the smoke, you have to leave,’ but we didn’t expect that it would not only destroy our community... but also take over half of Los Angeles.” She lamented, “Honestly, I’m not sure what the world is trying to tell us, it feels like nature is fighting back.”

They only took the children, passports, and jewelry, thinking the fire would be over quickly. “We said we would be back, in a few hours, maybe a day… all of our children’s things, gifts from family in Australia, everything that made this our home.” She said, choking back tears, “Some things are irreplaceable, some things can be, but we have to make sure the memories are not burned here.” The couple, originally from Queensland, moved to the US in 2020, with Maria always dreaming of living in America. They initially moved to New York but found Los Angeles a better fit within six months.

They are now staying in an Airbnb while dealing with their insurance claim, but they are determined to rebuild what they have lost. “I think the most appropriate word is despair, there is both anger and sadness, and I think that feeling will never go away, all we can do is start creating a future that is exciting enough to overcome the pain of this experience,” Maria said. “The dream of rebuilding is actually what is driving us forward. We need a grander future to help heal the present. We will raise our children here as planned.”

The Palisades fire swept through the community with such ferocity that entire streets were leveled. A few lucky homes and businesses managed to escape the destruction. But overall, the suburb, which is close to the famous Sunset Boulevard, is now a scene of devastation. The fire remains the largest of six fires in Los Angeles County. Firefighters are on high alert due to stronger desert winds (known as Santa Ana winds) expected in the next 48 hours. Authorities fear that these strong winds, combined with low humidity and high fuel loads, could cause the fire to flare up again later this week.