Los Angelinos who lost everything in the deadly fires are still prevented from visiting their homes without a police escort, new videos show – despite the city's mayor claiming last week that reconstruction could begin straight away.
Dave Harvilicz, 50, a resident of the Ritzy Pacific Palisades Enclave, which was one of the worst affected areas, filmed himself talking to U.S. military personnel who were still blocking access to his street on Saturday.
According to official interactive maps, the ongoing Palisades Fire has likely wiped out the California $4 million three-bathroom property on the land—but he still hasn't even been given access to see it.
'I haven't been to the house since January 7. It's January 25. President Trump said we could go now – what's going on? Harvilicz asked the US Army troop in a video he shared on X.
“I'm not so sure, sir,” the soldier replied. 'Unfortunately, we play by ear. With LAPD, they talk to our command and then our command tells us what LAPD says. '
Harvilicz pressed for more answers in the video, prompting the soldier to tell him he needs a police escort — a process that could take several hours.
It followed assurances from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday evening that residents could start rebuilding “right away” during a news conference where President Donald Trump chided her over red tape.
When pressed by residents about when they could start rebuilding, she said the city was “doing everything we can – regulations, speeding everything up so people can start the process right away,” according to the New York Post.
Dave Harvilicz, 50, a businessman from the Ritzy Pacific Palisades Enclave, which was one of the worst affected areas, filmed himself talking to a U.S. Army trooper who was still blocking access to his street on Saturday. A screengrab of his video is shown above
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
In an X-post shared on Sunday, Bass said city officials were working to urgently accelerate the rebuilding process.
“Palisades residents are grieving a loss greater than real estate – it is the weight of the loss of home and community,” she said.
“My promise to the hundreds of residents in tonight's city hall hour and the thousands watching ahead is that the city is working urgently to accelerate federal timelines in a way that is safe for all residents.”
Residents have also been warned that toxic waste feared to flood the ruins could take up to 18 months to clean up.
Los Angeles residents previously slammed Bass for being in Ghana when the fires broke out, despite having ample warning of “critical” weather conditions in the days before.
Bass flew To attend the West African country's presidential inauguration on January 7, after meteorologists warned that a 'recipe for fire' was on its way to strike LA.
To make matters worse, a litany of failures by LA city officials appeared to fuel the outlying blaze, which forced tens of thousands of people to flee amid apocalyptic scenes as homes and businesses burned to the ground.
Residents criticized officials for failing to cut electricity to power lines as shocking footage showed energized cables sparking in all directions, fueling the fires.
Meanwhile, the Santa Ynez Reservoir in the Palisades was closed for cover repairs as the worst of the wildfires broke out in the wealthy neighborhood, according to the LA Times.
This meant the 117-gallon water storage complex had been out of action for nearly a year when the fires started, causing fire hydrants to run dry in some areas, hampering firefighters' efforts to extinguish the flames.
According to official interactive maps, the ongoing Palisades Fire has likely obliterated the $4 million three-bathroom condo (pictured above) on the ground—but he still hasn't even been given access to see it
The Palisades fire has burned more than 23,000 acres and was 90 percent full as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire Stats. (Pictured: A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Pacific Palisades as the Infernos flooded the area earlier this month)
The fires spread so quickly that staff at a senior center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot in apocalyptic scenes
Twenty-eight people have been confirmed dead as a result of the fires, which have so far destroyed 16,252 structures as they accelerated through more than 57,000 hectares, according to the latest CAL fire statistics.
Four major Infernos are still blazing — including the Palisades Fire, which burned through more than 23,000 acres and was 90 percent full as of Monday morning.
The Eaton Fire in Altadena, North Los Angeles, was burning through 14,000 acres and was 98 percent full as of Monday morning.
Firefighters are also battling two newer fires — the Hughes Fire in Los Angeles and the Border 2 Fire in San Diego — that have each burned through thousands of acres.
Police have arrested two people for allegedly lighting fires amid the carnage, including Ruben Montes, 29, who was held for arson in Irwindale, about 16 miles away from Altadena, where the deadly Eaton Fire continues to rage.
Mexican national Juan Manuel Sierra-Lleyva, was taken into custody after he was reportedly caught on video using a yellow blowtorch before being confronted by residents in Calabasas, west of Beverly Hills.
