Of course we all remember the devastating fires that destroyed so many neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area in January. I posted about it in February and showed pictures that I could find of the area both before the tragedy and after. At the time, the only "after" images available for immediate use to the general public, due to restrictions, were essentially satellite images from Google Maps. Here's one of the "after" wiped-out neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades I showed in the capture shown below and a random "before" Street View shot at pretty much the center of that grid of streets shown above.
Well I was scouting around today in prep for the Blog In Review I'll be posting in a month (I know -- already!) and here are some new Google Maps images:
The new satellite view:
Alright, alright...a little more normal dirt colored rather than grey ashes. Still pretty barren though with plenty of empty lots but most of them look cleared and maybe ready for new construction with a few new homes starting up already...
Now here's a two-month old Street View right about at the same place as in the photo at the top...prepare yourself...
Of course, those beautiful houses are gone. So is the gorgeous landscaping and those hundred-year-old trees. So sad. The driveway and the decorative lights look eerily the same as well as the sawgrass on the parkway strip.
Next month, when you see one of the four squares that make up "February 2025's" BIR tile, you'll see a section from this last image. It'll not only be a callback to the post from that month but also to the spirit of the people of that area who I know will rebuild, like a phoenix from the ashes, and never say never!