A Horrific Natural Disaster Up Close: The Beach Houses Of Pacific Coast Highway…

The Iconic Beaches Of Malibu…

This is a photo I took a few years ago of an idyllic beach along Malibu’s coastline…that is, until last week’s firestorm in Los Angeles country destroyed entire neighborhoods.

As the smoke begins to clear from the horrific fires in the Los Angeles area, tens of thousands of people have had their lives upended – with entire areas like this one now gone…this is what that beach looks like today:

Pacific Palisades, CA – January 10: Destruction along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu from the Palisades Fire that burned through the area earlier in the week, on Friday, January 10, 2025. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

Yes, this is what is left of most of the houses that lined the Pacific Coast Highway north of Sunset Boulevard…a place I spent a lot of time at over the years:

This photo was shared online, showing a “before and after” that is just shocking…while there are so many photos and videos of the devastation, I wanted to share a story of what made this area so magical.

I will also share information on how you can help the effort to feed those people who have been displaced.

I took this photo from a house my wife Alex and I rented many times over the years on the Pacific Coast Highway, the “PCH”: we had many gatherings there, held a cast party for a show, and just enjoyed sunsets like this one:

Here is a look at a sunset walk along the beach – just some random person and their dog, enjoying the night:

As you can see, it was gorgeous…and we’d sit on the deck of our rental house with a glass of wine like this and watch the day go by…

We would also walk along the beach, past houses that literally sat on the Pacific Ocean: people’s full-time homes or vacation getaways, which are now burned down…

It’s hard to describe just how serene this was: sitting with coffee in the morning and watching as Dolphins cruised by:

Here is some video that shows how many would pop up on their journey past us:

We would walk from our house down the highway to a restaurant called Moonshadows, a local bar/restaurant always filled with people enjoying the day:

Moonshadows is gone now, along with so many of the other structures on the beach…we’d walk down the beach and pass so many beautiful cottages and houses that were destroyed:

These are images that won’t be repeated for years and years to come, and who knows when or if these houses will be rebuilt, considering how any fire danger from the hills can impact them.

I had the CEO of Chef Jose Andres’ food empire on my show “Dollar Bill” with Bill Rancic – they discussed the “World Central Kitchen” – the Chef’s relief effort that provides food around the world to those in need…they are an organization that is compassionate and dedicated to helping anyone living through a disaster, whether a natural disaster or a political conflict.

Chef Andres and the “WCK” arrived in Los Angeles immediately to help provide food for the more than 100,000 who were displaced by or fighting the horrendous fires…it is such a worthy cause: I just donated and here is a link if you want to know more.

You can donate here:

https://wck.org

Bravo to WCK – and the countless people and organizations who have stepped up to help those in dire need right now – as the firefight continues…

From the sunsets to the shoreline, it was a peaceful place to unwind…or in some cases, even do a bit of surfing…check this out:

From surfing to hungry Pelicans, here are some of the images I captured over the years:

I also shared a story of the time we were walking along the beach and came across a most unusual sight:

Yep, blue Jellyfish! Click here to find out what they are and why they showed up on our Malibu beach:

I shared these stories to remind myself that we have lost a truly magical area. You never knew who might pop up out of the water in Malibu, especially if you were out on a boat fishing:

We will do what we can to help this area rebuild, because it was such an important part of the Southern California life…

If you enjoy these posts, why not subscribe and never miss out? It’s easy, and there are NO ads of any kind, just stuff I like to share…click on the main page and “follow” me on the upper right…

https://johnrieber.com

Please consider helping those who are impacted by this natural disaster, and if you can, please share this on social media for others as well…thank you.



Categories: Exotic Travel, Memoirs, nature, Real Estate, Travel, Travel Memoir

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

21 replies

  1. Wow, chilling images. Thank you for sharing the resources—sending best wishes to California as everyone works to recover.

    Like

  2. This is a catastrophe for the place and a tragedy for the people. Your memories and photos are precious, John.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. So sad and so much loss….my heart goes out to all effected. chuq

    Liked by 1 person

  4. So many people affected. Yes, they can rebuild. I hate that small things like photos, family memories, things that can’t replaced have gone up in smoke. Thinking of everyone impacted by the fires.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. this is utterly devastating, john. thank you for sharing this with us. so many have lost so much.

    Like

  6. Thanks for sharing your firsthand experience with the area back then and now. It really helps a person like me, who has never been to the area, really understand what is going on. It is very sad, indeed. I wish you all the best as you move towards an uncertain future, as well as trying to get back to normal.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Such a beautiful place, destroyed. So incredibly sad.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. It is still being heavily covered by the TV news stations here, along with reports that some people started fires deliberately and some are still being caught trying to start new fires. Shameful indeed!

    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yes Pete, someone was caught starting a fire int he area…there is evil everywhere sadly…peole may not realize the enormity of this catastrophe: more than 100,000 people are displaced or evacuated right now…tens of thousands of homes and businesses gone. While the community has come together to help, it is a long road ahead. A story today talked about a family whose home was saved – but their daughter’s school burned down. Where does she go now? No one knows yet. Just one story of the hardship and uncertainty ahead for so many.

      Liked by 1 person

      • It that isn’t tragic enough, there have been several incidents of looting. Someone has to be a pretty terrible person to take advantage of someone else’s misfortune.

        Like

      • Yes, a catastrophe like this brings out the worst in people…sadly, you could include those few politicians using this as a way to try and punish the state for not voting for their candidate of choice…that is shameful as well…still, we are seeing a community coming together to try and deal with a disaster of unprecedented proportions…we will see how the next few months go toward putting a plan in place to move forward and help the tens of thousands who are impacted

        Liked by 2 people

Trackbacks

  1. How Chef José Andrés Is Feeding The Displaced In LA’s Fires + How You Can Help… – Bite! Eat! Repeat!

Leave a reply to Sunshine with Savannah Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Times and Tides of a Beachwriter

Drift among the scribbles of writer Janet Gogerty

Hugh's Views & News  

WordPress & Blogging tips, flash fiction, photography and lots more!

Piglet in Portugal

A Creative Spirit

Dawn Pisturino's Blog

My Writing Journey

Deb's World

Midlife - travel, fun and adventure

priorhouse blog

Photos, art, and a little bit of LIT.

Robin & Willow

Delicious Living

The Culinary Traveller

A food writer on the road around the world

DGKayewriter.com

Live, Love, Laugh & Don't Forget to Breathe!

Elizabeth Gauffreau

Fiction Writer in Poet's Clothing

Brookford Kitchen Diaries

Cooks inspired by books

The New Vintage Kitchen

A Vermont innkeeper's recipe box of seasonal vintage dishes, reimagined for today's cooks.

Lavender and Lime

♥ a food, travel and lifestyle blog ♥

Taking Up Room

Reviews. History. Life.

Cook and Drink

The Art of Flavours

the chef mimi blog

so much food, so little time...

Writing from the Heart with Brian

Think, Laugh, & Cry Each Day

Sunshine with Savannah

Writer aiming to cultivate kindness. | Exploring, learning, scribbling, seeking sunshine wherever I go.

Lisa Marie's Song of the Day

Daily music selected by Lisa Marie Bowman

New Classic Recipe

- Cookbook Reviews and Recipes

Rust Belt Girl

reading and writing the Rust Belt with Rebecca Moon Ruark

Take It Easy

Retired, not expired: words from the after(work)life. And music. Lots of music!

Hey, Traveler

Sharing travel tips, ideas, and anecdotes with fellow wanderers, dreamers, doers, and lovers of life

Stevie Turner

Author of Realistic Fiction

Cornwall in Colours

inspired by the colours of the land, sea and sky of Cornwall

Let's Go To The Movies

Film and Theatre Lover!

SoraNews24 -Japan News-

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

Bite! Eat! Repeat!

All Food, All The Time...Because "Everyone Eats!"

A Teacher's Reflections

Thirty Years of Wonder

Tanooki Homemade Cafe

Celebrate Everyday with Food Holidays

In Saner Thought

"It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error"..Thomas Paine

Pete Springer

Passionate Teacher and Future Children's Author

Diary of A Movie Maniac

A Personal Journey Through Cinema & Television

The Binge Watcher

BlerdWatching Waaay Too Much TV

Robbie's inspiration

Ideas on writing and baking

Darlene Foster's Blog

dreamer of dreams, teller of tales

You can always start now

being curious, exploring, finding me

Realweegiemidget Reviews Films TV Books and more

You can't take the Scotland out of a girl... Reel entertainment reviews and more from that Darlin Husband’s Scottish, square-eyed and film-mad wife living in Finland.

I didn't have my glasses on....

A trip through life with fingers crossed and eternal optimism.

Through the Shattered Lens

Where mainstream meets grindhouse, exploitation, otaku and gamers

Laura's Books and Blogs

Writing tips, giveaways, reviews, essays, and more!

But I Smile Anyway...

Musings and memories, words and wisdom... of a working family woman

Invisibly Me

Live A Visible Life Whatever Your Health