A lifetime in ashes

Greenberg taking in the devastation as she helps her friend Sheikhly search the remains of his property outside El Cariso Village neighborhood of Lake Elsinore. — ©️2024 The New York Times Company

MAZEN Sheikhly’s heart raced as he navigated the winding road to his one-bedroom home of nearly two decades, nestled outside El Cariso Village in California’s Santa Ana Mountains.

After the devastating Airport Fire early swept through Orange County, crossing into Riverside County earlier this month, Sheikhly was among thousands forced to evacuate.