Residents return to devastated LA mobile home park

LOS ANGELES — Residents of a once neatly kept mobile home park returned Monday to see for themselves how a wildfire turned it into a desolate landscape of charred metal and blackened sticks.

One black van was used to ferry residents of the 484 homes destroyed by Saturday's inferno. White vans were used for residents of the roughly 120 homes that were still standing.

Ed Hurdle, 82, was among many retirees who lived at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park and saw all their belongings go up in flames.

"It's gone," Ed Hurdle said with little emotion after taking the first park tour organized by fire officials. "The car is gone. The house is gone. It's twisted metal. It's totally charred there. There's no hope at all. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing."

The tours came as calm winds and clear skies allowed firefighters to make gains on two Southern California wildfires that devastated hundreds of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee during the weekend. Most of the evacuation orders were lifted by Monday.

Since Thursday, three major fires have burned nearly 41,000 acres, or 64 square miles. Officials warned of another bad air day on Monday, and classes were canceled at dozens of schools near fire zones in Orange County. Many schools that were in session canceled outdoor activities due to acrid smoke.

In Los Angeles' Sylmar neighborhood, vans carried residents of the Oakridge park past the rubble and made brief stops so those who still had homes could collect medication or other essential items before returning to an evacuation center at Sylmar High School.

Betty Glassman, 78, was one of the lucky ones.

"My house was in great shape. All it was was dirty," she said, smiling. "I feel like I'm in a dream. Pinch me."

Among the dozens of people waiting at the school to take the tour was Tommy Reaves, 45, whose home was destroyed.

"I want to be able to stand in front of my house, and I'll have closure. I'll know it's gone," said Reaves, who paid $60,000 when he bought the three-bedroom, two-bathroom modular home in 2003, then did $40,000 worth of upgrades.

Even many of the homes that remain were badly damaged by the fast-moving fire. Cadaver dogs have been searching the burned units, but so far no bodies have been found.