Palisades fire: Malibu restaurants and local landmarks destroyed in catastrophic blaze

Tens of thousands of Southern California residents have been forced to evacuate as wildfires rip through the region, devouring homes, restaurants, and local landmarks, and killing at least five people and injuring countless other area residents.

The Palisades fire, the largest among them, erupted at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday and has since grown to cover nearly 16,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.

To make matters worse, a windstorm with gusts of up to 60 mph is essentially fanning the flames. So far, there has been no containment of the wildfire.

The Palisades fire first engulfed Pacific Palisades before barreling into Malibu, ultimately forcing an estimated 150,000 locals to flee and destroying more than 1,000 structures along the way.

Some local favorites have tragically been consumed by the blaze.

Reel Inn was one of them. The 36-year-old seafood restaurant in Malibu was damaged by the fire, owners Teddy and Andy Leonard wrote in an Instagram post. The staff was safe, but the owners say they are “heartbroken and unsure what will be left” of the restaurant: “Hopefully the state parks will let us rebuild when the dust settles.”

Video captured by the Malibu Times shows smoke billowing from the establishment as winds whip along Pacific Coast Highway.

Down the road, Cholada Thai restaurant was also engulfed in flames, the owner confirmed to The Independent.

“This is Cholada Thai restaurant :( one of my favorite places, small family restaurant. So sad to see it up in flames,” one X user wrote, attaching a video of the establishment being swallowed by flames.

The owners, Sawai Theprian and her husband Nikorn Sriwichailumpan, moved to the U.S. with the dream of running a restaurant; they have owned the Thai restaurant since 2000, according to Malibu Magazine.

Just next door, Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio said it lost its tasting room to the blaze. “We don’t know what the future holds,” the company said on Instagram Wednesday, and noted that thankfully all of its staff members were safe.

Malibu Feed Bin, a pet supplies store, announced that it had been “lost” to the wildfire.

The 60-year-old store made the announcement “with a heavy heart” in a Facebook post on Wednesday. The post read: “This is so unreal for me and I having a hard time finding the words that even make sense. I want to thank everyone who has sent kind words and expressed concern for the store, my family and staff. We are so thankful for the love and support you all have shown us after 60 years in business.”

“The Feed Bin was such an iconic store in Malibu. I loved to go there in the ‘70’s and bought all of my horse feed and tack there,” one social media user said. “This loss cuts deep.”

Another wrote: “For all of my 59 years, I’ve known and loved the Feed Bin. It was such an important part of my life as a Topanga Kid — and as a Topanga adult, too.”

Outside of Malibu, other structures have been damaged by two of the other major fires.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood has also been ravaged by the blaze.

The Getty Villa, an art museum, has been threatened by some of the impacts of the wildfires, but remains largely undamaged.

“Some trees & vegetation on site have burned, but no structures are on fire, and staff and the collection remain safe,” the museum wrote on X Tuesday. It will remain closed from Wednesday through January 13.

Will Rogers State Historic Park is closed after it was “affected” by the Palisades fire, its website said. The extent of the damage is not immediately clear.

Theatre Palisades also sustained “serious” damage in the blaze. The theater said on its website that it would be suspending its operations until further notice by the board of directors.

Other popular destinations in the area, including the Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Zoo and Universal Studios Hollywood were all closed Wednesday.

Due to evacuations, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a research institute outside Altadena, is closed from Wednesday through January 13, except for “a small number” of emergency personnel who were required to remain on site, according to a notice on its website.

The Eaton fire, which has raged since Tuesday evening and has grown to span 2,000 acres, consumed the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, NBC Los Angeles reported. The structure is reportedly destroyed.

“I feel numb to it,” one worshipper told the outlet. “It’s like a bad, bad horrific dream to see that it’s not going to be here tomorrow. This whole place is lighting up.”