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Giant tree crushes Monrovia home, trapping residents inside

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Giant tree crushes Monrovia home, trapping residents inside

Neighbors recalled the terrifying moment a giant pine tree toppled over and crushed a home in Monrovia, trapping the residents inside.

The tree fell on the home located on Mountain Avenue and Foothill Boulevard around 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.

The home’s renter, Shelly, said it sounded like a bomb had exploded as the giant tree uprooted and came crashing down onto the roof.

She was immediately surrounded by a blanket of dust and was stunned and terrified, not realizing what had happened.

Shelly’s van, which was parked in the driveway, was smashed in by the trunk, along with most of the home’s front portion. 

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The surrounding fence was ripped from the earth and hoisted several feet into the air as the colossal tree roots were fully exposed. 

  • A giant pine tree topples over, crushing a Monrovia home and trapping residents inside on May 8, 2024. (KTLA)
  • The tree's massive roots are seen as the trunk crushes a van parked on the driveway of a Monrovia home.
  • The tree's massive roots are seen as the trunk crushes a van parked on the driveway of a Monrovia home.
  • The Monrovia home is seen back in 2022. (Google Earth)
  • The Monrovia home and the large pine tree are seen back in 2022. (Google Earth)
  • The tree's massive roots are seen as the trunk crushes a van parked on the driveway of a Monrovia home. (KTLA)
  • The tree's massive roots are seen as the trunk crushes a van parked on the driveway of a Monrovia home. (KTLA)
  • The toppling of a large pine tree left a trail of destruction in Monrovia on May 8, 2024. (KTLA)
  • The toppling of a large pine tree left a trail of destruction in Monrovia on May 8, 2024. (KTLA)
  • The toppling of a large pine tree left a trail of destruction in Monrovia on May 8, 2024. (KTLA)
  • The toppling of a large pine tree left a trail of destruction in Monrovia on May 8, 2024. (KTLA)
  • The tree's massive roots are seen as the trunk crushes a van parked on the driveway of a Monrovia home. (KTLA)
  • A giant pine tree topples over, crushing a Monrovia home and trapping residents inside on May 8, 2024. (KTLA)

Neighbors on the street are stunned by the sudden collapse.

“This is tragic,” said Chris Higgins, a neighbor. “I mean, not just the house, but the car.”

“Everything’s in the tree’s way,” said neighbor Carl Pregozen. “The fences and stuff are just obliterated like they’re toothpicks. You don’t really think or see the hugeness of the tree when it’s up in the sky. But when you see it on the ground like this, it’s a humongous thing.”

Two people and two dogs were inside the home at the time. One of them was saved from serious injury by a piece of furniture that blocked her from being crushed.

The residents quickly turned off the gas lines and with the help of firefighters, were able to escape from the wreckage through the home’s back entrance 

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The residents are thankful no one was seriously injured. However, the incident has left them shaken.

Mature pine trees are located all around Monrovia and locals generally believe the trees give their community extra charm. However, many are now wondering whether a similar situation could threaten their homes.

“I have a huge one right next to me and I always think about if it were to ever fall,” Higgins said. “It’s sad and it’s also a little scary. It wasn’t windy at all. It hasn’t rained in at least a few days. I know the soil is saturated, but there was no wind at all. That’s what is so strange about this entire thing.”

“I wouldn’t think a huge beautiful tree like that would fall just by itself,” Pregozen said. ‘It’s got to be something that’s causing it, some mismanagement of the tree in some way, probably inadvertent. It makes me want to be really careful and diligent about caring for the one I have in my yard properly.”

A GoFundMe page to help the owners repair their house can be found here.

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City inspectors have red-tagged the home and investigators are working to determine the cause of the tree’s collapse.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Wealthy L.A. investor blasted for seeking paid firefighters: ‘Will pay any amount’

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Wealthy L.A. investor blasted for seeking paid firefighters: ‘Will pay any amount’

A 40-year-old Los Angeles millionaire, well known for his success in real estate, has deleted his X account, after facing intense criticism for pleading on the social media platform for private firefighters to save his Pacific Palisades home on Tuesday.  

Keith Wasserman, whose X bio used to read “entrepreneur, investor, contrarian, compounding,” is a partner and co-founder at Gelt Venture Partners, described on his Linkedin page as “Multifamily Real Estate Investments with High Net Worth Individuals and Families.”  

“Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades?” the 40-year-old posted on X Jan. 7 as the fire raged. “Need to act fast here. All neighbors houses burning. Will pay any amount. Thank you.”  

The Palisades Fire, which was first reported at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, quickly spread through residential and commercial districts, prompting immediate evacuations for tens of thousands of people and has since destroyed thousands of structures across more than 19,000 acres.  

The wildfire is believed to be the most destructive natural disaster in L.A. history, with the damage estimated to be somewhere in the $50 billion range.  

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  • Palisades Fire
  • Palisades Fire
  • Palisades Fire

Wasserman, who, according to the Daily Beast, had previously posted about his disdain for paying property taxes, writing “real estate ballers don’t pay any,“ was immediately “dragged” by other X users.  

“Congratulations on no longer having to pay property taxes,” one user wrote, tagging Wasserman whose home reportedly burned down in the fire.  

“You really can’t make this stuff up,” another X user said. “The rich guy Keith Wasserman bragged about not paying taxes & now wants private firefighters to protect his home while neighbors’ home burn.”  

Not all the comments were entirely negative, however. Some users came to the real-estate investor’s defense.  

“It’s deeply disheartening to witness the backlash against Keith Wasserman,” a user from San Diego wrote. “Keith was fighting to save his home and the cherished memories of his family. Almost anyone in his position, faced with flames at their doorstep, would have acted similarly.”  

“If you’re sitting in the comfort of your home judging Keith Wasserman for trying to save his home – maybe realize that you are lucky and be thankful. We all need to be more gentle,” yet another X user posted.  

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It’s not entirely uncommon for those with the financials means, like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in 2018, to get for-hire firefighters, though they were also heavily criticized at the time as well.  

It’s unclear if Wasserman has any intentions of returning to X, but his account no longer existed by Jan. 9.  

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Los Angeles, Ca

Here's how to help those impacted by the wildfires across Southern California

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Here's how to help those impacted by the wildfires across Southern California

As devasting wildfires continue to burn Southern California, residents and organizations are stepping up to provide aid to those affected.

Here’s how you can support wildfire victims on their path to recovery.

  • KTLA 5 parent company, Nexstar Media Group, has partnered with the American Red Cross to launch a donation page for Southern California wildfire victims. Donations can be placed here.
  • Baby2Baby is accepting donations to support children impacted by the wildfires.
  • GoFundMe has compiled a list of verified fundraisers for people impacted by the ongoing wildfires.
  • SPCALA’s Disaster Animal Response Team is seeking donations to support emergency services, such as temporary animal shelters and front-line veterinary care.
  • The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation is accepting donations to support firefighters on the front lines. The foundation is seeking monetary donations, wildland brush tools, hydration backpacks, and emergency fire shelters.
  • The California Fire Foundation is looking for donations to support surviving families of fallen firefighters, firefighters, and the communities they serve.
  • The Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations and items to support those affected by the wildfires.
  • World Central Kitchen, spearheaded by Chef José Andrés, has a relief team in Southern California to assist first responders and families. The organization is accepting donations to support the ongoing relief effort.
  • The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is accepting donations and looking for volunteers.
  • Direct Relief is also accepting donations to support those impacted by the wildfires.
  • Community Organized Relief Effort, or CORE, is accepting donations to support wildfire victims.
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Los Angeles, Ca

Eaton Fire victim dies holding a hose, defending home

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Eaton Fire victim dies holding a hose, defending home

One of the five confirmed fatalities from the destructive Eaton Fire was identified on Wednesday morning when his family found his body on the side of the road by their home – with a garden hose still in his hand.

According to his loved ones, 66-year-old Victor Shaw died trying to defend the home that had been in his family for nearly 55 years.

As of Wednesday night, Victor’s body was still on his family’s property in the 3000 block of Monterose Avenue as conditions were not yet safe enough for the coroner’s office to retrieve him.

Victor lived in that home with his younger sister, Shari Shaw, who said that she tried to get him to evacuate with her on Tuesday night as the fire moved toward them.

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Those close to Victor said he had some health problems that prevented him from moving around very well.

As she was running out the door, Shari said Victor told her he wanted to stay behind and try to fight the fire.

“When I went back in and yelled out his name, he didn’t reply back, and I had to get out because the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm – I had to save myself,” Shari told KTLA’s Rick Chambers. “And I looked behind me, and the house was starting to go up in flames, and I had to leave.”

A family friend, Al Tanner, told KTLA that the next morning, they found Victor’s charred body on the side of the road with the hose.

“It looks like he was trying to save the home that his parents had for almost 55 years,” said Tanner.

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“I fell to the ground, and I didn’t know – I didn’t want to look at him,” said Shari. “They just told me that he was lying on the ground and that he looked serene, as if he was at peace.”

As of early morning Thursday, the cause of the 10,600-acre Eaton Fire remained under investigation. 

The Eaton Fire was one of four large, active wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The largest, the 17,234-acre Palisades Fire, destroyed an estimated 1,000 structures. A separate 855-acre fire, the Hurst Fire, burned in the L.A. neighborhood of Sylmar. A fast-moving fire in the Antelope Valley called the Lidia Fire has burned at least 348 acres and forced evacuations. Crews have made progress on the 43-acre Sunset Fire which forced rapid evacuations in the Hollywood Hills.

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