An ABC News reporter has shared her devastation after the dream home she’d finally purchased burned to the ground just one day after she moved in.
The Los Angeles wildfires have caused massive devastation across the region, wiping out thousands of structures and costing at least 25 lives.
The battle is ongoing to get the wildfires under control, with strong winds in the area having contributed to the spread of the blaze, as well as dry conditions.
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ABC News reporter Zohreen Shah revealed that she was one of the many that had lost their homes in the blaze, having just moved into her dream house with her husband a day before it burned to the ground.
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Taking to Instagram, Shah shared photos of what was left of the “magical” property the couple had spent years searching for, as well as snaps of it in happier times before the devastating blaze.
She wrote: “I lost my home in the fires. It’s a total loss. We started moving in last week. Over and over, I told Rishi I couldn’t believe this sanctuary was ours. We spent one night there. Just one.
“It was perfect. It was magical. We dreamed of retiring in that same home. Just five minutes from PCH, yet it felt like another planet.
“Deer walked up to the home, the birds sounded like a tropical island, and the ocean view was the California dream. We had peach, nectarine, lemon, and avocado trees—and a small enclosure for lettuce and strawberries, safe from wildlife.”
She revealed that her husband had spent the past six years hunting for the perfect property, which he found in November, and they closed on Christmas Eve.
Shah explained why the purchase of the house meant so much to her, adding: “Growing up, my parents didn’t own a home.
“Like so many, I worked, saved, and sacrificed with the dream of having what my parents didn’t have. I cook most meals at home, I haven’t had kids yet, and I don’t travel for fun. Because of this, over years, I saved enough for 20% of our down payment. I was so proud.
“And then – just like that – after years of working and saving, it was gone. Friends say we can now make it the way we want. But to me, it was already perfect.”
She admitted: “I have to be honest. As much as I’m determined to rebuild with Rishi, we are also so damn sad.
“I know we are very lucky – we are safe. But I ping-pong between feeling like a stronger, wiser version of myself and curling up into a scared, 4-year-old version. I’m also scared because this isn’t even over.”
Shah added that they are still in limbo waiting to hear from their insurance company, and aware that it will take “so long” to rebuild after the devastation.
“This journey is personal,” she added. “I hope when people see me on TV or TikTok, they know they’re watching someone who saw her dream home turn to rubble – and is fighting to build it back again.”
As of the time of writing, the Pacific Palisades fire – which claimed Shah’s home and many others – had burned over 23,700 acres and is just 18 percent contained, according to Cal Fire.
