The news and the numbers from the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires are staggering: 37,500 acres burned; 16,000 structures destroyed; 2,000 more damaged; 28 confirmed lives lost. That’s just from the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires as of Thursday.
From regular communities such as Altadena to affluent enclaves such as Pacific Palisades and Malibu, the devastation will take years of recovery for those who choose to rebuild. Many have lost everything and will be forced to move on.
John O’Donnell has lived in the Los Angeles area for 27 years, within four miles as the Santa Ana winds blow from the Palisades fire line. He played collegiate golf at nearby UCLA. His brother, actor Chris O’Donnell, lives in the Palisades (his house has so far been spared). His sister used to for 15 years. He counts friends in the area by the dozens. He’s attended countless baptisms for nieces and nephews, Easter Sundays and Christmas masses in Corpus Christi Catholic Church, which was destroyed by the blazes. He built his clothing company, Johnnie-O, 20 years a...