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In Pasadena, California, chaos erupted as flames and thick smoke raged along the roadside, prompting a woman to scream in fear while firefighters directed a throng of residents fleeing the area. Aaron Samson positioned his 83-year-old father-in-law behind his blue walker, and together they began to make their way down the bustling sidewalk.
“He told me, ‘Aaron, if the flames get too close, just run without me,’” Samson shared during a recount of the harrowing experience on Wednesday.
Thankfully, it never reached that critical point. Just hours later, a good Samaritan came to their aid, driving them to safety in Santa Monica.
Theirs was just one of many escapes as thousands of people evacuated due to wildfires tearing through the Los Angeles area. These fires transformed scenic neighborhoods into charred ruins, leaving only chimneys and iron staircases in the wake of destruction. Fueled by relentless Santa Ana winds, the flames devastated over 1,000 structures, destroyed several iconic landmarks, and claimed the lives of at least five individuals. One of these fires has been marked as the most catastrophic in Los Angeles’ recent history.
These evacuations were marked by extreme bravery and desperation. Many were forced to abandon their vehicles, fleeing on foot as branches crashed all around and fierce winds whipped the flames menacingly. Compounding the urgency, authorities were compelled to use bulldozers to move abandoned cars littering Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades to clear a route for emergency personnel.
Altadena, a neighborhood heavily impacted by the fires, witnessed heart-wrenching scenes as approximately 100 elderly residents from senior care facilities were hurriedly evacuated. They were hastily transported in hospital beds and wheelchairs, clad in thin night clothes, shivering in the chilly night air while they waited in a nearby parking lot for shelter from the fires.
As new flames erupted in the Hollywood Hills late Wednesday, further evacuations were mandated.
Among the evacuees, many found refuge at the Pasadena Convention Center, where numerous elderly residents from assisted living facilities gathered in makeshift arrangements. Wheelchairs were lined up, green cots were disbursed, and families reunited amidst the falling ash outside.
EJ Soto vividly described the moment she fled her childhood home in Altadena, where she had lived for 30 years. At 3:25 AM, alongside her mother, two nieces, sister, and husband, they decided not to sleep, instead keeping a watchful eye on the advancing flames.
“We knew we needed to prepare,” Soto recalled as she directed her family to pack essentials for two days, including supplies for their cat, Callie. They ultimately fled to the Rose Bowl stadium and waited for two hours, later returning to find three of their neighbors’ homes ablaze, including their own.
Meanwhile, Samson, who was tending to his father-in-law, had no car and could not get a ride through Uber or emergency services. They managed to flag down a neighbor who generously agreed to assist them, but traffic hindered their escape. As the fire closed in, the situation worsened, with palm tree tops igniting under the fierce wind.
Unsure of whether they would make it, Samson and his father-in-law left their belongings behind and followed a police order to evacuate on foot. After a 15-minute walk, another kind stranger offered them a ride, which ensured their safety.
By Wednesday, while anxious about the fate of their home, Samson expressed his gratitude to the two strangers who helped them. “They really went out of their way to save us,” he noted.
In another account, Sheriece Wallace, a resident of Pacific Palisades, received a call from her sister just as water was being dropped from a helicopter over her house. “It felt like it was raining,” she said, bewildered, until her sister clarified that her neighborhood was on fire.
Opening her door to the horror of an ablaze hillside, Wallace faced a street jammed with abandoned cars and debris. She contemplated the idea of diving into a pool for safety but was fortunate to find a neighbor nearby who offered her a ride.
Eddie Aparicio, another resident from Altadena, was left in disbelief while evacuating amidst frenzied traffic. “Branches were falling everywhere,” he said, staunchly observing the flames jumping across the mountains and igniting homes many blocks away. The following morning, news arrived that their house had burned down, leaving only the chimney standing. Although family heirlooms were lost, Aparicio felt the deepest sorrow for the community that had been devastated.
Several cherished landmarks also succumbed to the flames, including the historic home of Hollywood star Will Rogers and the Topanga Ranch Motel, a structure originating from 1929. The famous Reel Inn, a seafood shack in Malibu that has served patrons since the 1940s, was likewise lost. Owner Teddy Leonard noted that as she watched from afar, the sky was illuminated with an ominous red glow amidst fierce winds whipping across the area.
After evacuating, Leonard and her husband relocated to an Airbnb as they sought refuge from the flames. The outcome for their home remained uncertain, but gratitude prevailed as they prioritized the safety of their family. “This is nature taking control,” she stated, emphasizing the unpredictability of such disasters.
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