MSNBC's Katy Tur left speechless after seeing her childhood home destroyed by wildfires
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: MSNBC’s Katy Tur experienced a deeply personal moment on Thursday as she toured the wildfire-ravaged Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles.
The journalist stood speechless for several seconds as she came face-to-face with the ruins of her childhood home, now reduced to ashes by the ongoing fires that have devastated Southern California, reported by HuffPost.
Katy Tur’s emotional return to devastated childhood home in Pacific Palisades
“I don’t even know what to say,” Katy Tur, a Los Angeles native, said, her voice breaking as she surveyed the site where her family’s home once stood. Walking through the debris, she reflected on the life she once lived there, pointing out where the garage, living room, and bedrooms used to be.
An emotional Tur shared vivid memories of her time in the house.
“I threw my first house party here, the cops showed up. I lost my grandmother to lung cancer while I was living here. My parents lost their entire business. My dad almost died. My dog was eaten by a coyote,” she said.
Tur reflected on how her mind lingered on the "bad” memories rather than the "good” ones. She also shared that her mother’s "pride and joy" was the grand baby piano that held center stage in their home, where she would play pieces by Chopin. “It’s really difficult to see this sort of stuff,” Tur admitted, before mentioning that, even though she now resides in New York, she still has family and friends in Los Angeles.
“But just seeing the damage and knowing that your memories, that you had memories connected to a place that is no longer standing. It felt raw for me. And if it feels raw for me, it’s got to feel unbearable for thousands of people that are going to come back here in the coming days and weeks," she shared
Earlier, she visited the “heart” of Pacific Palisades, including her childhood elementary school, where she reflected on what has now been “completely gone” from her old neighborhood.
The Pacific Palisades fires have destroyed at least 10,000 structures and claimed the lives of at least 10 people, leaving an indelible mark on the community.
Katy Tur speaks out on emotional impact of LA Wildfires
In a heartfelt moment on MSNBC the day before, Katy Tur admitted that reporting on the wildfires had been emotionally challenging. “It’s my elementary school, my childhood homes, the grocery stores, the post office, the car wash, silly things like the car wash,” she said.
Videos sent by friends of the neighborhood now show scenes that are unrecognizable. “You look at the images and I keep getting videos from friends and you can’t figure out what you’re looking at because it’s unrecognizable," she said.
Despite now living in New York, Tur shared that she still has loved ones in Los Angeles. Her return to the city not only brought personal heartbreak but also a renewed understanding of the widespread devastation impacting so many lives.
