Written by Erika I. Ritchie
Ali Darian carefully raked through the rubble and debris left of his 5,000-square-foot, two-story Mediterranean-style home on Laguna Niguel’s Coronado Pointe.
He was looking for a century-old stamp and coin collection he inherited from his parents and some antique jewelry that belonged to his wife.
Ali Darian and his son Shayan look over the rubble of their Coronado Pointe home in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Darian’s home, along with 19 others, were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ali Darian and his son Shayan look over the rubble of their Coronado Pointe home in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Darian’s home, along with 19 others, were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ali Darian shows a photo of the family’s cockatiel Benson while looking through the rubble of their Coronado Pointe home in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Benson died in the fire. Darian’s home, along with 19 others, were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ali Darian walks through the rubble of his Coronado Pointe home, trying to find items of value in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Darian’s home, along with 19 others, were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Burned out homes a fenced in along Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Twenty homes were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The front door latch lies in the rubble of Ali Darian’s Coronado Pointe home in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Darian’s home, along with 19 others, were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A burned out car sits in the driveway of Ali Darian’s Coronado Pointe home in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Darian’s home, along with 19 others, were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A worker sifts through debris at Ali Darian’s Coronado Pointe home in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Darian’s home, along with 19 others, were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ali Darian picks through the rubble of his Coronado Pointe home, trying to find items of value in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Darian’s home, along with 19 others, were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ali Darian looks over the canyon from his Coronado Pointe home in Laguna Niguel, CA on Monday, May 23, 2022. Darian’s home, along with 19 others, were destroyed in the Coastal fire that started along Aliso Woods Canyon May 11. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
He climbed over walls that had tumbled from the former second story and across melted door frames and windows that were strewn in rubble near what would have been the master bedroom closet and his nearby office.
Darian, 62, is the first among homeowners who lost their homes in the recent Coastal fire to have pulled a permit from the city of Laguna Niguel to begin bulldozing. He hired a demolition company with two bulldozers.
The crew dug up the rubble and spread it out on a flat surface near what was the front entrance of the house. There he raked and examined even the smallest shard looking for something sentimental.
By midday, Monday, May 23, Darian had found nothing. Not even a trace of the granite that had laid on counters throughout his bathrooms and kitchen.
“It’s devastating,” he said wiping his brow. “I lived here for 27 years, and there are a lot of memories, and this has completely disrupted my life.”
Darian’s home was among the 20 residences turned to rubble May 11 by the fast-spreading Coastal fire. Officials said 11 more homes were damaged, though many more homeowners say they suffered smoke and water damage.
City officials say they are doing their best to help residents recover and rebuild. Laguna Niguel’s city manager has met with each of the homeowners whose homes were lost and is working with the Coronado Pointe and Niguel Summit homeowners associations.
“We are expediting the building permit process for those that decide to rebuild,” Laguna Niguel Mayor Elaine Gennawey said. “All homeowners are in different places right now. We want to make it as smooth as possible. We’re also seeking state and federal aid for those that are impacted.”
The fire broke out in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park at about 2:45 p.m. on May 11, and raced uphill, first toward Laguna Beach. When the winds shifted, the flames reversed toward the homes in the Coronado Pointe community, which is high on a ridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The fire burned through 200 acres and took several days to extinguish completely – 100% containment was reported May 17.
Southern California Edison put out a brief statement May 11 that circuit activity was detected in the area and near the time the Coastal fire started, but its officials have not elaborated. A few days later, several residents including Darian, filed a lawsuit alleging “failure of the utility’s equipment was responsible.”
Orange County Fire Authority investigators continue to investigate the fire’s cause and have not given a timeline for when their probe might be completed. A SCE representative said when the lawsuit was filed it would be inappropriate to discuss the litigation, adding, “We are coordinating with fire agencies as needed to ensure fire safety.”
Along Coronado Pointe on Monday, activity near the neighborhood’s gate-guarded entry seemed almost normal. Cars were parked outside homes and Amazon drivers were making deliveries.
But, a bit down the road, green fencing started to cordon off the devastated properties and remediation and cleanup trucks lined the roadway. At some homes, crews dressed in hazmat suits carried plastic-covered furniture to moving vans.
David Brunell, a retired endodontist, stood outside his home watering the plants. The heat from fire around his house had melted the irrigation hoses and his plants – though not burned – were dying.
“With all the heat, smoke and water damage, we can’t live here,” he said, adding that he and his family are staying in a hotel in San Juan Capistrano until their insurance company can find them an appropriately comparable house to rent short-term. He expects it will be between six to nine months before they can finally return home.
Brunell was on a safari trip in South Africa when he first got alerts from his home telling him the smoke detectors were going off. He managed to connect online to watch a local newscast and immediately recognized the 10,000-square-foot home directly across the street consumed in flames.
“There was so much fire, we couldn’t see our house,” the 27-year resident said. “The next-door neighbor (house) was on fire and we figured our house was gone.”
He only found out later that his home was still standing and that his son, who lives nearby, had run in and rescued the family dog, Bailey, a maltipoo.
Brunell said he believes a recent renovation that installed all new windows, removed balconies and sealed up the house is what saved it.
“The only wood we have in the house is the garage doors,” he said. “And those were going to be replaced on Wednesday.”
Replacing things is also what Darian hopes to do. He expects the bulldozing and removal of debris will take about two more days.
“We’ve accomplished a lot, we’ve cleared about 50%,” he said. “The rest will take a little bit longer to sift through.”
Then Darian, who owns a mortgage company and has asked his clients for their patience, said he will look into rebuilding. That includes getting architect plans submitted to the Coronado Point Homeowners Association and then to the city. Then he’ll work on structural and mechanical plans.
He hopes to start rebuilding in three to four months, he said.
He said his insurance will probably only pay for half of his loss and he hopes to win a court judgement.
“My goal is to rebuild with the exact floor plan,” he said. “I want to be surrounded by the same things.
“It will never be 100% the same,” he said, “but I have photos of every room and I will find similar items.”
Source: OC Register
