A California father, Blake Mallen, lost his home in the January 8th wildfires and is now demanding accountability from the state's leadership, claiming they "absolutely failed" residents during the crisis. Mallen, a 44-year-old entrepreneur, ensured his wife and two young children evacuated before attempting to protect his Pacific Palisades property. He spent the day before the fire retrieving sentimental items and preparing the house, filling sinks, placing towels under doors, and gathering fire extinguishers.

Mallen worked tirelessly with his neighbor, Alex, to extinguish hundreds of "hot spots" using garden hoses and buckets. As night fell, the situation intensified. "Nighttime came, and it started to turn to Armageddon," Mallen recounted, describing the approaching flames as "apocalyptic." When their water supply dwindled, they resorted to using pool water. Despite their efforts, there were no firefighters present in the neighborhood at that crucial time.

In the early morning hours, Mallen located parked fire engines but discovered the firefighters were also out of water. Feeling defeated, he returned to his neighborhood and continued fighting the fire with his neighbor. Even after initially believing he had saved his home, a nearby house caught fire, quickly spreading to his own. Mallen pleaded with passing firefighters, who valiantly attempted to save his property, but the lack of water proved insurmountable. The Mallen family lost their fully paid-off home of seven years.

Adding to the tragedy, Mallen revealed his insurance coverage had been dropped by State Farm in September. Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged the water pressure issues and initiated an investigation into the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Mallen expressed his frustration over paying high taxes yet lacking basic resources to protect his home. He shared his experience to represent the thousands of families similarly impacted by the wildfires, advocating for change. A GoFundMe page has been established to support the Mallen family's recovery.