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Los Angeles wildfire survivors recall trauma: ‘World ending, constant fear’
Fire department officials issued evacuation orders and asked residents were also asked to evacuate voluntarily without formal orders if they sensed danger.
Los Angeles residents who escaped raging infernos have recalled their traumatic experience since last Tuesday and their desperate attempts to save their lives. At least 24 people have been killed, and more than 12,300 structures have been burnt to ash, according to estimates by the California Fire Department.
Tabitha Trosen and her boyfriend told the news agency AP about their feeling of “teetering” on the edge, fearing the blaze could spread to their neighbourhood anytime. The couple also recalled their efforts to salvage their belongings so that they do not lose their precious memories.
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"It’s like, how do I take care of myself, and what are the things that will ground me as a human and remind me of my background and my life and my family,” said Trosen.
Fire department officials issued evacuation orders for several communities after the fires erupted. Residents were also asked to evacuate voluntarily without formal orders if they sensed danger.
Tim Kang of La Crescenta, an LA resident, felt sick from dense smoke and abandoned their home on sensing that the fire could engulf their neighbourhood.
“Everything just felt like, ‘Oh man, the world’s ending,’” said Kang.
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Anxious wait to return
Over the weekend, a slowdown of dry Santa Ana winds allowed some residents to return to their communities. Many had no idea if their homes or neighbourhoods were still standing.
Jim Orlandini, who lost his store, expressed relief that his home survived. “The whole time I was thinking, I don’t know what I’m going to find when I get back here and after 40 years, you know, you got a lot of stuff you forget about that would disappear if the house burned down. So we’re thankful that it didn’t,” he said.
Firefighters continue to fight the blaze on Monday to contain it within its frontlines before the dry Santa Ana winds could pick up and push flames further eastward. The National Weather Service warned the weather will be “particularly dangerous” on Tuesday, when wind gusts could reach 65 mph (105 kph).
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials expressed readiness to fight the potential resurgence of fires with additional firefighters from around the US, Canada, and Mexico.
(With AP, AFP inputs)
