Wildfire recovery reached a major milestone Thursday in Pacific Palisades when the Army Corps of Engineers began debris removal at the first multi-family residential properties.
Initially, only single-family homes were eligible for the Corps debris removal program after the devastating Jan. 7 Pacific Palisades fire. Property owners could either opt into the free debris removal program or hire their own contractors after the Environmental Protect Agency removal process was complete.
Members of the Pali Strong Group and others in the community worked with local, state and federal agencies to make sure the debris removal program was expanded to apartments, condominiums and townhomes.
The sounds of jackhammers, dump trucks and heavy construction equipment signaled the beginning of that process Thursday at a townhome that was one of several multi-family structures that burned more than three months ago in the Palisades Fire.
It was a welcome racket for owners Maroun Harb and Patricia Nahigian, whose townhome was destroyed in the fire that spread rapidly in a Santa Ana windstorm. Their residence was the first scheduled for clearance by the Corps.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be meeting with homeowners in the Palisades before any debris removal and rebuilding begins. Brittany Hope reports for the NBC4 News at 6 a.m. on April 24, 2025.
“I’ve lived here since 2003. There was so much stuff in this house that we were thinking we’ve got to start getting rid of, which I think everybody when they get to our age they start thinking about,” Nahigian said. “Well, we sized down all right, in one fell swoop.”
The community’s strength helped them through the tough times, she added, standing in the debris of the couple’s home Thursday morning as Corps crews worked nearby.
“You see everything being reborn, and everybody helping out,” Nahigian said. “How can you not be positive. It’s been heartwarming.”
The couple said their doubtful many belongings will be found in the rubble, but asked Corps members to keep watch for artworks or sculptures. Those cherished items include a plaster cast of Harb’s baby daughter’s hand wrapped around his thumb.
“It’s unfortunate that we lost our possessions and our house, but we are lucky in many other ways,” Harb said.
Seventeen townhomes in the community will be cleared of debris over the next few days. Between the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire in Altadena, 31 multi-family residential structures with multiple units inside are on the debris removal list, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
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