A Palisades Highlands homeowner witnessed what's believed to be the terrifying beginning of one of the most damaging wildfires in California history. Don Griffin has lived in the home for more than 13 years and was in his backyard on the morning of January 7 when he saw a small plume of smoke rising in the valley behind his property. The fire eventually burned thousands of homes in Pacific Palisades, causing billions of dollars in damage and remains uncontained. Although an official cause of the fire is not yet known, Griffin suspects it was likely man made, either by accident or on purpose, as there was no lightning the morning it started and there are no power lines in the valley behind his home. In another part of the Pacific Palisades, the Hassett family returned to their home neighborhood after the fires passed through, only to find their house burnt down. Jackie Hasset and her daughter Kate reminisced on their house of 22 years, cherished the memories they had spent in the coastal California community, and lamented the loss of home. Since the flames erupted in and around Los Angeles, scores of residents have returned to their still smoldering neighborhoods even as the threat of new fires persisted and the nation's second-largest city remained unsettled. For some, it was a first look at the staggering reality of what was lost as the region of 13 million people grapples with the gargantuan challenge of overcoming the disaster and rebuilding.