That was a dangerous proposition. However, some residents of Malibu and the Pacific Pallisad had established an established plan to overtake the community and combat the wildfires of January 7th.
Survivors riding the Inferno have led to at least dozens of deaths, but acknowledged that their decision poses a significant risk. The fire was caused by a severe Santa Ana wind storm, making it California’s third most destructive wildfire.
“I don’t want to stay unless I’m ready. It’s extremely dangerous to stay,” explained Janet Fulk Mongie of the Big Rock area.
This means that the three of them say they have entered their wildfire preparation plan ahead of the Palisade fire.
Prioritizing wildfire resistance
After Janet and Peter Fruk Monge lost their homes in the 1993 Malibu fire, the couple was rebuilt in the same lot. They urged architects to make “fire resistance” a priority and spared the costs to do so. Additionally, Fulk-Monges has created well-thought-out plans over the years.
“We put our scuba tanks at the bottom of the pool. They were all turned on. We were ready, and if necessary, we were ready as a last resort to jumping into the pool,” Peter Fulk Monge told NBC4.
Place the scuba tank at the bottom of the pool. They’re all turned on. I’m ready to go. And if necessary, they were ready as a last resort to jumping into the pool.
Peter Fulk Monge
The couple regularly attended fire safety training sessions. They also regularly tested the pool pump as a backup water source. Ready to supply a network of fire hoses ready to go on fire night.
Robert Trinkkeller, five miles southeast of Palisade in the Pacific Ocean, showed off the high-pressure hose he installed in his Palisade home
“I have a lot of defensible space here. There’s a lot of concrete. There’s not much vegetation. And I know how to save a house in a firestorm is careful of flying embers that enter your home’s paneling,” explained Trinkkeller.
I didn’t come at night without any surprises. At one point, the back porch awning was blown away and flew to the other side of the street. The embers lit the paneling of the house. Trinkeller struck and absorbed the flames with his high-pressure hose.
Trinkler also looked at the embers hitting nearby homes. The video shows him charging into a neighbor’s house with a hose to extinguish the flames that overtake the bedroom. He managed to save the adjacent house. The others have died.
Protect your home from embers
Thomas Ide described how the fiery palm leaves were showered early in the morning on the night of January 7th. The only photo he took was a selfie in the mirror when it was all over.
Ihde’s eyes were bloody from the smoke, and sooted his face. It was a sleepless night for Thomas and his mother, Rosemary, in the Big Rock community in Malibu.
“There were seven cars in the lot at the corner. Boom. Boom. Boom,” Rosemary explained the explosion, thundering across the neighborhood. “One after another. Boom, boom, and then again.”
Thomas Ide’s father saved his home in the 1993 Malibu fire but was hospitalized in the early 2025 in terminal conditions. Ihde was in town and stepped into his father’s shoes.
“We’ll burn one house. We’ll burn two people. We’ll come down the street and come to us,” Thomas Idi explained the ominous work of the approaching fire. “Put water there when the fire is small. That could change the outlook for the neighborhood.”
Idhe showed that the family that was set up to “hard the house” can withstand.
“These are Vulcan vents,” Ede said, pointing to the attic.
Cal fires burn 60-90% of the home due to embers, not the frontline of a fire.
More takeaway from the Palisade fire
What other takeouts are there? Individual preparation efforts and collective maintenance efforts can affect outcomes.
“No. 1, people have to cut out the brush and chaparral and sumac. Create a defensible space,” Robert Trinkler told NBC4.
Building materials are also important.
“Stucco. A big difference. I saw the wood burning by the stucco and it held up an hour later,” Thomas Ede said.
Peter and Janet Fulc Monge spoke about their first fire safety class and how they learned how to connect a fire hose to a fire hydrant to handle forces. What’s more, the pair are fierce supporters of community mobilization, and they say that’s important.
“You clean your brushes and the whole neighborhood will benefit you as well,” said Janet Fulc Monge.
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