Caitlin Doran, Local Social Media Star, Leads Family’s Recovery from Devastating Blaze
In the face of the devastating Palisades Fire, Caitlin Doran, known for her popular social media accounts featuring her 175-pound tortoise Tiptoe, led her extended family in a harrowing evacuation from their long-time homes in Pacific Palisades. The fire, which erupted on January 7, destroyed the homes of five generations of Doran’s family in this exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood, according to reports from The New York Sun, FOX Weather, and PEOPLE.
Doran, a fifth-generation resident whose family has lived in the area since the 1930s, described the rapid spread of the fire, first noticing black smoke around 2 p.m. local time. She rushed from her home in Marina del Rey to check on her family and Tiptoe, managing to save the tortoise and other family pets, as reported by FOX Weather.
The urgency of the situation was captured in videos that went viral on TikTok, showing Tiptoe’s last moments in his enclosure before the evacuation. Doran and her family watched helplessly as their homes were consumed by flames, with efforts to save possessions ending around midnight on January 8, when water supplies ran dry, according to PEOPLE.
Despite the loss, Doran remains optimistic, focusing on the strength and unity of her family and community. Currently, she hosts three generations of her family, including her grandparents, parents, and cousins, in her Marina del Rey home, turning a full house into a haven of resilience, as noted by FOX Weather.
