‘Will Pay Any Amount’: Private Firefighters Are in Demand in L.A.
Hiring a private fire crew costs thousands of dollars a day, and most work through government contracts or with insurance companies. Some wealthy property owners are calling them in directly.
Tim Arango, a national correspondent based in Los Angeles, reported from downtown Pacific Palisades, which was largely destroyed. Debra Kamin, who covers real estate, reported from New York.
Monument Street, which cuts through the center of Pacific Palisades, tells two starkly different stories of the fire that has engulfed the community. On one side, lots where multimillion-dollar houses once stood are now ash and rubble. On the other, an outdoor shopping mall whose tenants include Chanel, the men’s clothier Buck Mason and an upscale sushi restaurant, is largely intact.
The 1950s standard “This Could Be the Start of Something Big” could be heard on Friday playing over speakers around the mall, known as Palisades Village, even though the stores were closed. Large water trucks stood sentry, ready for action should the fire again threaten the rows of businesses.
