Palisades Fire Story time:
Was talking with my SIL tonight. I knew she grew up in the SFV like we did. What I didn't know is that when her family first moved to CA from the midwest her parents rented a house in Pacific Palisades. 
She and her brother were latchkey kids, both parents at work during the day.  
In 1978 they were playing outside when neighbors were hosing down their homes. The neighbors shooed them into the neighbors house to watch TV - flames were cresting the hills above the Palisades. 
Her mother came home from work and they were evacuated.  Her Dad came home from work later, did not know where his family was (no cell phones then and apparently they weren't able to call him at work before rushing out). He snuck into the neighborhood. Went to the house, got out a hose, turned on the sprinklers and protected the house from the fire. 
When they went back to the house after it was clear they found the house still standing, the fire demarcation line was at the limit of the sprinklers. 
My SIL said that after the fire she had severe PTSD from sirens/fire trucks for about 10 years. 
After the fire they ended up moving out of the Palisades into the SFV.