ABC News Reporter Covering L.A. Fires Reveals Recently Purchased ‘Dream Home’ in Palisades Burned Down

An ABC News reporter who has covered numerous wildfires throughout her career is now sharing her story after losing her home in the Palisades Fire.

Zohreen Shah, a correspondent based in Los Angeles, is putting the pieces of her life back together after the home she recently bought with her husband Rishi Shah was destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire.

‘It’s like hell’: What to know as the Palisade fire burns across Los Angeles

“I lost my home in the fires. It’s a total loss,” she began as the caption of a heartbreaking Instagram post shared over the weekend.

Journalist Zohreen Shah’s home.

Zohreen Shah/Instagram

On a joint carousel with her husband, Zohreen showed the consequences of the destruction. The first photo was just a shell of what it once was.

“We started moving in last week. I kept telling Rishi that I couldn’t believe that this shrine was ours. We spent one night there. Only one,” said the journalist.

LA fires: 24 dead, at least 23 missing, officials say, as high winds threaten region

Another image gave a glimpse of what the modern, coastal estate looked like before bushfires ravaged the area starting on Tuesday, January 7.

Home of Zohreen Shah.

Zohreen Shah/Instagram

According to Zohreen, the property that took the couple six years to find was “perfect”.

“It was magical. We dreamed of retirement in that same home. Only five minutes from PCH, but it felt like another planet. “Deer walked up to the house, birds sounded like a tropical island, and the ocean view was a California dream,” she wrote.

Another feed in her carousel featured a video of two deer exploring her yard and galloping off one they noticed had been spotted.

Home of Zohreen Shah.

Zohreen Shah/Instagram

Zohreen also referred to her “peach, nectarine, lemon and avocado trees” that are now gone.

The reporter said she and Rishi finally found their “dream home” in November and made it official when they closed on Christmas Eve. They spent only one night there before the historic fire.

She said she was “so proud” that she was able to save enough for a down payment after sacrificing things like travel or children – also noting that her mother and father never had a home and she worked very hard “with the dream of having something my parents didn’t have any”.

Tyler Perry calls out insurance companies in heartfelt post amid LA fires as he wants to ‘do what I can to help’

She then called the property “perfect”, before calling the insurance companies and demanding answers for the tragic turn of events.

In an interview Monday, Disney (ABC’s parent company) CEO Bog Iger said, “For anyone at Disney who can’t return home immediately after evacuation orders are lifted — some homes are gone, while others require extensive repairs — the company provides two months of free furnished apartment, among other benefits.”

Disney has also opened its studio wardrobe warehouses to employees who need clothes and shoes, according to human resources manager Sonia Coleman, reps told PEOPLE.

Pacific Palisades Fire — January 7, 2025.

Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty

As of the evening of Tuesday, January 14, the Pacific Palisades Fire has burned more than 23,700 acres of land and is currently only 18% contained, according to Cal Fire.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

While state officials continue to investigate the cause of what The Wall Street Journal considered the costliest wildfire in United States history, a lack of rain and dry vegetation fueled the flames, while high winds helped them spread at high speeds.

Click here to learn more about how to help victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.

YouTube

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education