Saved From the Fire: Palisades Gas N Wash

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Driving through a fire-torn community that is just at the beginning of its reconstruction is a harrowing sight. All the way down Sunset Blvd. are burned houses, apartments, businesses and gas stations; the list goes on and on.  

Hiding in the middle of the destruction lies the Palisades Gas N Wash, located at 890 Alma Real Dr, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. This local gas station and custom detailing shop was untouched by the flames that scorched buildings less than a hundred feet away. The green and white detailing of the store stands strong and proud, finally open for business after over a month of being evacuated.  

Burned Buildings surround the Sunset Blvd. sign. Photo by: Alex Stahl

One of the workers at the station on Feb. 25, 2025, is Laresi Sevanas, who has lived in California for five years. Sevanas has been in the Palisades for two years. “I saw everything at the start of the fire. Every time we see a fire we think the fire station will take care of it. We thought it was okay. Ten minutes later, more fire, 10 minutes later, more fire. We were out of there at 11:30.”  

The Palisades fire began at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. The fire began in the mountains north of the Palisades neighborhood. According to NBC News, the fire covered 23,448 acres and destroyed 6,837 structures and damaged an additional 1,017 structures. According to the World Resources Institute, “Over 200 fire alerts were detected in the area between Jan. 7 and Jan. 22 — more than 130 times the average for the first four weeks of the year from 2012-2024.” 

Outside the Palisades Gas N Wash: Photo by Alex Stahl

“This place is like my home, because I come every day except weekends, 8-6 pm, the customers come every day to say hi, now it’s sad because I don’t see as many people anymore.” 

Sunset Boulevard used to be a bustling place, with the Palisades area holding around 23,132 people according to a survey taken in 2022. Now, the street sits practically empty, with a few people going back to their homes and businesses, trying to salvage what little is left and looking for ways to rebuild. “We came back just yesterday. We thought we could come back sooner, but they were telling us we couldn’t. Now this area is only allowed for residents.” 

Laresi Sevanas: Photo by Carter Evenson

Sevanas was out of work for over a month, “We need to work every day for the rent.  I started work at the food truck, they gave me some days.”  

Food trucks stand a couple of hundred feet from the gas station, and they are currently serving food to people allowed on the main strip, which mostly includes police, National Guard, maintenance workers, residents, and employees of businesses. “I don’t have another job, so this gave me something to do. I don’t like staying in my home.” Sevanas is continuing to work there part-time until more business comes to the gas station. 

 All the employees share one message, they want business to come back. “I want my family and friends to come visit. We’ve been promoting on Instagram. Trying to get customers to know we are still open,” said Sevanas. Since the Palisades area is still blocked off to the public, outside of residents, there is uncertainty about when it will reopen.  

Food Trucks outside the gas station. Photo by: Alex Stahl

There is hope throughout the community, “Just seeing people work hard gives me hope, it makes me happy. I feel something good, it’s difficult for me to describe.” 

Sevanas is hopeful that in the coming months more places will reopen and customers will come back. 

The Palisades area is now under the beginning stages of reconstruction. When the reporters were on the scene, you could see maintenance vehicles driving throughout, and FEMA was also present among the National Guard. Clean-up crews are also seen throughout the community, working on marking all hazardous waste that needs to be removed.  

No one quite knows when the Palisades area will be open for business again, or when families will be able to return to their homes. It is slowly coming back, and hope still reigns throughout the community.

This story is part of a semester-long investigative reporting project into the 2025 California wildfires. It was created by an advanced reporting class in the Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies program at UW-Milwaukee. Other stories from the project are available here.

This work was made possible through the support of MPC Endowment Ltd., the philanthropic affiliate of the Milwaukee Press Club.