Everyone knows California is disaster ... borders of one of the biggest and best-prepared cities on the planet. But the fire that tore through coastal urban Pacific Palisades this week was driven ...

As the smoke began to clear after two days of intense fire, Pacific Palisades appeared more like a moonscape of destruction than an upscale neighborhood known for its ocean views, beautiful vistas ...

The Palisades are a few miles from Malibu, California, and stretch from the Pacific coast up into the mountains. Many homes have picturesque ocean views, and multimillion-dollar, hillside homes ...