Californian James Borow, who lost his home in the Los Angeles wildfires, spoke about the devastation to his area and what could have been handled differently on “The Ingraham Angle.”
A California resident who lost his Pacific Palisades home in the wildfires is calling out city leadership, saying it failed residents “to a catastrophic degree.”
James Borow spoke to “The Ingraham Angle” after raging wildfires ripped through his southern California area, destroying residences, businesses and schools. Now, Californians are left to pick up the pieces.
“The Palisades is one of the most special places in the world, and I don’t blame, really, anyone that’s affiliated with the Palisades, but I think Los Angeles failed us to a catastrophic degree, and it just can never happen again,” he told Fox News on Thursday.
Borow recalled watching his home burn down through the camera system in his car while he and his family were away from the area.
“It took about an hour for the house to burn down, and there was no emergency services,” he said. “I watched it from the Las Vegas airport. It was without a doubt the most surreal experience of my life, but I’m just angry because I know it was avoidable. Everyone knew the winds were bad.”
He said city officials knew many residents did not have quality insurance, but that they still failed at responding to the tragedy.
“When 1,600 people in your town no longer have, basically, quality insurance, you would think you’d go ahead and check the water pressure, check the reservoir, make sure there’s fire trucks,” he said. “Like, just basic operational things failed.”
Borow described local government as functioning as a “facade.”
“They were playing government this whole time, and they had an opportunity to step up and help us in need and there was nothing there.”
Fires destroyed Borow’s “entire neighborhood.”
“I lived in an area called the Alphabet Streets — it’s totally decimated,” Borow told Fox News. “Like every single neighbor I have, their house is gone. I have a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old. My 5-year-old’s school is gone. The 3-year-old’s preschool is gone. The library is gone. The place they went to art class is gone. The place they went to music class is gone. The place they went to gymnastics is gone — like every single thing is gone.”
In spite of the devastation, Borow expressed hope in moving forward and rebuilding.
“We’re rebuilding. We’re doubling down. I love the Palisades. I think with good leadership, it can be incredible. We’re optimistic if there can be people who are competent running this place. There’s no reason it has to be like this.”
