The destruction of Eliana Bernstein’s Pacific Palisades home also threatened the loss of her Westwood apartment.

Bernstein, a third-year political science student, said she moved into her apartment just a few days before the Jan. 7 onset of the Los Angeles County wildfires. However, after her family was displaced by the Palisades fire, finding alternative housing meant covering two rent payments and the mortgage on the lost house – costs she said her family could not afford while replacing lost belongings.

“Your whole life can be completely taken up,” Bernstein said. “Our only focus, really, was figuring out where to live.”

A series of wildfires burned across LA County, with the Palisades fire – which was the closest to campus – burning over 23,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

[Related: JANUARY 2025 FIRES]

The Palisades fire also significantly damaged Marquez Charter Elementary School and about 40% of Palisades Charter High School – both schools Bernstein attended.

Bernstein, who lived in the Palisades Highlands for 15 years, said the neighborhood was its own distinct bubble, with palm tree-lined streets, succulent gardens and ocean views at the Bluffs.

“You learned a lot about the world there,” Bernstein said.

However, after the loss of their home, her family faced difficulties finding a new home because of rising rent in LA, said Amy Bernstein, Eliana’s mother. Amy added that she considered retiring from her job as a rabbi at Kehillat Israel – the Pacific Palisades’ local synagogue – collecting her insurance money and moving to a more affordable state so Eliana could continue living in Westwood.

“You don’t get any insurance money right away, so you have nothing,” Amy said. “You still have all your bills. You still have to pay your mortgage. You still have to pay all your bills and tuition at UCLA and rent at UCLA.”

Despite these difficult decisions, Amy said she and Eliana have found solace in each other, with Amy drawing strength from watching Eliana stay true to herself throughout the recovery process. She added that her friends have offered her temporary housing for a year so Eliana can keep her apartment.

“In some ways, we’ve lost everything,” Amy said. “What we haven’t lost is each other.”

The wildfire that devastated the Bernsteins’ Highlands home started Jan. 7 and blocked the Palisades Highlands’ designated fire escape route, later spreading to Sunset Boulevard, trapping residents – including Amy – in the neighborhood.

[Related: ‘Everything is just gone’: Bruins grapple with homes lost in LA wildfires]

As some of their neighbors defended their houses with buckets of water, her mother could not leave until first responders bulldozed abandoned vehicles out of the street, Eliana said.

The next day, Eliana said she got confirmation that her house was on fire from live aerial news footage. Amy said she also received a video from a co-worker who was in the Highlands during the disaster, which included his experience talking to first responders.

“He said, ‘Please, please save this house. She’s a community leader,’” she said. “They looked at him, and they said, ‘We have no water.’”

The Bernsteins’ Spanish-style home was decorated with a passion fruit vine on the front porch and surrounded by greenery, Eliana said, adding that their home was lined with family pictures, albums and souvenirs.

Eliana said the hardest things for her to lose were the years’ worth of birthday cards she handwrote for her mother and the 175 books she collected throughout her childhood. She added that she grew up visiting her neighbors’ houses – few of which survived the fire.

“Your house is your house,” Eliana said. “But then it’s another thing for all the houses that you went to when you were little to also be gone.”

On top of balancing her academics, Eliana said she had to start over after the fire, driving across the city to get basic necessities from relief centers. She added that she sometimes forgets to care for herself because of the sheer amount of everyday tasks she has to complete.

However, Amy said Eliana has become more resilient in recent weeks.

“She still loves on the dog, like nothing happened,” Amy said. “She’s there for her friends as if nothing happened. She’s able to laugh and be her ridiculous self – no matter what’s happened.”

Fern Kaufman, Eliana’s godmother who visited the Bernsteins after the LA fires, said Eliana and Amy have found strength in their love for their community, with the fire creating a bond among its victims.

“You know, there’s the hats and the shirts, ‘Palisades strong,’” Kaufman said. “Those two (Eliana and Amy) are defining it.”

Kaufman also said Eliana has been protective of her mother throughout the recovery process.

Although meaningful possessions to Eliana’s future are now gone, she said she is now even more motivated to become a human rights or civil rights lawyer. She added that the disaster has helped her become more connected with family and friends.

“We all kind of envision ourselves spreading our wings after college and doing whatever you want to do wherever you want to do it,” Eliana said. “But I definitely feel like I am now, more than ever, more rooted to my community, and I am now invested in watching my friends build their houses.”