As flames engulf the landscape in Southern California, some people are paying attention to what happens next. Neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades were burned to ashes by the Palisades Fire. Containment is minimal, with debris, downed trees and power lines strewn around — creating a dangerous fire hazard amid Santa Ana winds.

Local residents are already planning to rebuild without taking any steps.
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“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that what I'm seeing right now would result from a phone call,” said Chuck Hart, a fourth-generation Palisidian.

The second Hart heard about the firehe and a team of contractors jumped to the front lines to protect their community.

A burned-out playground in Pacific Palisade. (Sunny Tsai/FOXBusiness)

“I have poured water on the firewood before, but when they were near a creek with the wind blowing away hot embers and flamesand now the hot steam, my eyes, my nose, my face… I mean, it's strong,” Hart said.

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After fighting the flames, Hart and his team went straight in clean the street.

“I think more than anything, it's about cleaning this up, getting on the streets and getting down to it,” Hart said.

A tractor removes fallen trees from the road. (Sunny Tsai/FOXBusiness)

These efforts go far beyond Hart and his team.

“I think it's easy. It's what we know. It's like we don't want to leave or be far away… We want to be a part of rebuilding it,” said Palisadian Nicole Gyarmati.

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Gyarmathy and Eli Johnson's home burned in the Palisades fire. Without hesitation, they immediately returned to the wreckage and set about rebuilding their communities.

A view of fire-ravaged beach property overlooking the Pacific Ocean as the Palisades fire burned on January 12, 2025 in Malibu, California. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)

“I grew up here and I know my dad grew up here and he knows my grandparents, I mean, my roots are here. And you protect that,” Johnson said.
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Day in and day out, these Palisadeans will do just that.

“It's so new that we're going to do something we've never done before — one day, it's going to reveal what our next move is,” Gyarmathy said.