Some seniors who were forced to evacuate from their Pacific Palisades apartments because of the deadly January wildfires are back home.

The Casa Gateway Apartments were evacuated after the Palisades Fire started Jan. 7 in a powerful Santa Ana windstorm that fanned flames. Resident Lena Latiff has been living with her daughter for months since the evacuation.

“I’m blessed. I’m so happy to be back home,” Latiff said Monday.

Harrowing scenes unfolded in the coastal Los Angeles County community overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the hours after the start of the Palisades Fire. The 23,700-acre wildfire became the ninth-deadliest and third-most destructive fire on record in California.

Twelve deaths were reported in connection with the Palisades Fire, according to CALFIRE, which was contained after about two weeks.

Latiff recalled the uncertainty as she witnessed the early stages of the fire from her apartment.

NBC4’s Political Reporter Conan Nolan speaks with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass about the rebuilding of the Pacific Palisades after January’s fire. She says she’s not taking her eye off the ball when it comes to the recovery process, no matter how much she has on her plate.

“When I looked out the balcony and I saw all the smoke and the fire trucks, I saw the kids running,” said Latiff. “That’s when I got scared.”

The Casa Gateway Apartments sustained damaged due to fire smoke and mudslides earlier this year. Latiff shared video with NBCLA that showed workers removing mud during the lengthy cleanup, which was supported by the nonprofit CORE and partners, including the National Day Laborers Organization Network.

More than 50 apartment units were part of the remediation process.

Remediation included removal and replacement of attic insulation, interior hallway flooring and the painting of halls and community spaces. The city removed about six inches of mud due to the slides. The process also required irrigation repairs, and external wall and tile replacement

“I look out and I say, ‘Thank you, god,'” Latiff said. “I’m just grateful that it looks like this.”

The cause of the Palisades Fire remains under investigation.