Evacuees may avoid fire only for burglars to strike

As wildfires continue to rage around Southern California, some who were forced to evacuate have had the chance to check on their homes, only to find that burglars and looters have struck what the fire missed.

Genarro Rossetti came back to the Pacific Palisades for medicine and important papers, and though it was “too dark to see” what exactly had been stolen, it was clear that “somebody had gotten into the house.”

“It clearly wasn’t firefighters, because there was no fire at the house to get into, and it was not a place where it would be the first site of entry,” he told KTLA’s Sara Welch.

Officials are cracking down on looting, with charges already being filed against suspected burglars, but police, the National Guard, private security and others can only be so many places at once, and it’s still unclear when homeowners will be able to return to their residences.

“It’s the not knowing that is the most difficult part,” Rossetti said.