Homecare Gets Personal

Fay and Ben Vahdani Took Swift Action to Save their Home in the Highlands

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

The evening of January 8 is one Fay Vahdani and Ben Adel will never forget.

The owners of Luxe Homecare—a Palisades-based 24-hour home health care agency—evacuated the day before, as their office in the 881Alma Real building burned down, but were relieved their house on Calle Arbolada in the Highlands, where they have resided since Fay was pregnant with her daughter Bita in 2002, looked to be out of harm’s way. Or so they thought.     

“On Wednesday, we were able to monitor our home on our Ring cameras,” Fay recalled. “At around 9 p.m. we saw that some of our plants were catching fire … our backyard planters and side trees were all in flames. I immediately called 911 several times and asked them to send a truck to our address. They assured me that their team was aware of the fires and was on the scene, however we could see fire engines passing by our street without stopping. You can imagine it was incredibly distressing to watch our home come oh so close to being engulfed in flames and us unable to do anything but wait for help. So at that point I turned to Ben and said, ‘I don’t care, let’s find a way to get home.’ We got permission from a police officer at one of the checkpoints by showing our driver’s licenses but got stopped and turned around at Sunset and PCH. Then we were able to find a way to drive to our house using the back road near Bel-Air Bay Club. Upon our arrival, while I was collecting our valuable belongings, my husband utilized a water pump to draw water from our front and backyard fountains. Putting our outdoor furniture cushions inside and moving those outdoor heaters, gas tanks and umbrellas Ben was able to contain the burning bushes surrounding our house, including those in the planters and in front of our home. At one point we ran out of water and had to  resort to using a water pitcher from our fridge, kettles and water bottles to keep the fire contained. In his efforts to manage the situation, Ben even attempted to smother the fire using his feet, which unfortunately resulted in burns.”

Though it was a close call, Fay and Ben are happy they were able to save their home, which has provided so many fond memories over the years.

“Had it not been for our quick thinking and resourcefulness, both our house and our nextdoor neighbors’ home could’ve been lost,” she warned. “I do believe it’s crucial for our government to be made aware of this situation, as it demonstrates how essential individual action can be when official resources or intervention are delayed.”

Since 2012, the couple has served the Palisades community with their business that caters to and provides hospice and homecare for aging adults. They lost all five of their offices and four vehicles in the Palisades fire, but their team reached out to patients they knew were living alone to offer evacuation assistance.

“We were able to bring about five patients to our office, where they stayed until their loved ones could pick them up,” Fay said. “Tragically, one of our patients refused to allow us to evacuate her and she was found deceased in her home. Sadly, a third of our patients were from Pacific Palisades and have now been relocated. A few we weren’t able to locate and we’ve reported them to the Red Cross. We’re heartbroken by the impact this fire has had on our business, our patients and the community we serve.”

Not even a disaster as dangerous as a wildfire, though, has kept Fay and Ben from doing their job.

“It’s been a devastating time for Ben and me since last Tuesday,” Fay continued. “We’ve settled into a hotel in Santa Monica, as we need to stay close to all of our patients in the area. In our line of business, we can’t afford any interruptions, and we’ve been working around the clock to ensure our team continues to monitor all of our patients virtually. Thankfully, our amazing team has experience in handling challenges like these from the COVID-19 era, and I’m so grateful for my husband who’s extremely IT-savvy. We’re actively looking for a new office space near the Palisades so we can rebuild our business stronger than before.”

The moral of the story, according to Fay, is that the human spirit will prevail in a moment of crisis.

“I believe people need to know that many of these homes could’ve been saved if homeowners were allowed to take proactive measures, such as watering burning bushes,” Fay said. “I’ll be forever grateful to that policeman who let us pass the roadblock so we could go and save our house. I’ve been talking to many, many  newspaper and TV outlets since the first day when one of our patients perished in the fire.”

Like so many other Palisadians, the couple is coping with this tragedy with self-assuredness and resolve that focuses on the road ahead, not the rubble behind.

“As for our home, since it is in a red zone, we’re uncertain when we’ll be able to move back,” Fay said. “I can’t emphasize strongly enough how crucial it was for us to reach our house at just the right time. We were incredibly fortunate to have three fountains full of water at our home, as there was no running water and the fire hydrant directly across from our house was empty. It was because of this we were able to save our home. We personally know two friends on Lachman Lane who chose to stay and water their homes, and their efforts allowed their houses to survive. My heart goes out to all my friends and community members who’ve lost their homes. I’m keeping everyone in my thoughts during this difficult time.”