Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, who is running for mayor of Los Angeles in 2022, successfully saved his Palisades Village mall from the Palisades fire, as well as other local businesses, but the nearby houses were burnt down.
Walking through the mall, it's as if the fire never happened. The only signs of damage were a few overturned and shattered heat lamps in an outdoor restaurant. It looks like the stylish store is almost ready to reopen.
Caruso isn't alone: Breitbart News has been told by a fire official that there are “about 15” private fire departments patrolling the Pacific Palisades, most of which rely on insurance companies to protect their customers' property. He said he was employed.
Breitbart News spoke to firefighters at the scene. Firestorm Wildland Fire Suppression, Inc.would not comment publicly. The company had not responded to comments at the time of publication.
Breitbart News spotted a small water truck patrolling the Upper Riviera area on Monday. A security contractor told Breitbart News that in addition to protecting homes from looting, his company also provides firefighting services.
Most small fire departments use water tanks installed on flatbeds. Caruso firefighters used large tanker trucks to carry water. His mall buildings were also apparently constructed with new fire-resistant construction materials.
Caruso's role is not without controversy. Some residents hail his success as an example of what the city should have done to protect residents' property, while others feel the water should have been shared more widely.
Most of the businesses across from Palisades Village on Swarthmore Avenue did indeed survive, and Breitbart News reported anecdotally that they benefited from the presence of civilian firefighters. However, one store, the popular skate shop Paliskates, was completely destroyed, and another store, Serena & Lily, suffered obvious fire damage.
Local firefighters told Breitbart News that if given adequate resources from the city and other local agencies, especially personnel and water, they could protect nearby property just as they protected Caruso. He said he could have done it.
Caruso donated $5 million to the Los Angeles Fire Foundation earlier this week.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
