Heart-shaped rock recovered from Palisades fire gives family hope amid devastation
Jessica Rogers lost her home to the flames that devastated Pacific Palisades, but amid the waves of grief and mounting losses in her community, it’s a heart-shaped memento that she’s clinging to.
Like many who were evacuated Tuesday, Rogers has been desperate to see for herself what remains of her green home with teal trim in the El Medio Bluffs neighborhood. A friend had sent her pictures. She knows the home has been reduced to just ash and a chimney, she said. Just like the home she rents out next door.
Coverage of the fires ravaging Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena, including stories about the devastation, issues firefighters faced and the weather.
No one is allowed yet to return to those devastated streets. But, the Santa Monica Fire Department told Rogers they could try to look for an item she was seeking that she knew would cheer up her children. She decorated the outside of her front door with heart-shaped rocks she collected from their travels. She wanted to show her kids that the fire hadn’t taken those memories.
“We’re traumatized, and I want to give them a message of hope,” Rogers said.
Deputy Chief Tom Clemo of the Santa Monica Fire Department said they were in the right area at the right time to be able to grab one of the rocks from amid the ashes. He delivered it himself to an overjoyed Rogers on Thursday night.
In the catastrophic Palisades fire, one of the city’s iconic thoroughfares was severely damaged and large swaths of homes were reduced to smoldering rubble.
“You know, the least we can do in light of an unprecedented level of devastation is to help a family that is grieving,” he said Friday. “We’re honored to take the opportunity.”
The rock is now in a hotel with Rogers and her children.
“In this tragedy, there’s some incredible compassion and support and love, and that’s what I’m holding on to,” said Rogers, who is president of the Pacific Palisades Residents Assn. “Those are the things that matter.”
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