Former Philly area residents living in southern Calif describe devastating wildfires
PHILADELPHIA - Wildfires ravaging some of the most picturesque neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area continued to grow Wednesday night as fire crews battled several major out-of-control blazes that killed at least five people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and buildings.
1.5 million Californian’s are without power, hospital emergency rooms are filling up with respiratory problems and more than 150,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes.
FOX 29 caught up with a few former Philadelphian’s now living in that fire zone. Craig Lundberg, who grew up in Nether Providence Township, lives in Venice, California, a few miles from the Palisades fire.
"The apartment I lived in is burned down, the grocery store I used to go to is burned down," said Lundberg.
He provided video he took in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades showing homes still burning. The Palisades fire is deemed the most destructive fire in Los Angeles County history with entire neighborhoods left in ruins and fatalities mount.
Los Angeles wildfires latest: 5 dead as crews struggle to contain blazes
Several wildfires burned across the Los Angeles area on Wednesday morning, destroying homes, closing schools, and forcing evacuations. Here’s what to know.
"There are areas that are just completely destroyed and the speed of the destruction - I just haven’t seen anything like it," said Lundberg.
Another Delco native, Jon Craig, lives in Santa Paula, in Ventura County, where power is out across town. With a gas generator running in the background, he spent the night cleaning his roof to help prevent embers from burning his home.
"Coming from the East coast, we brace for hurricanes or a big snowstorm. With this, it’s different. This makes you feel like when you see flames, it look apocalyptic," said Craig.
New Jersey native Disha Rao and her husband Zack, from Kensington, both went to Drexel University and are now living in Pasadena, near the site of another raging fire. They are on standby for a potential evacuation.
"It seems like the neighborhood of Altdiena, which is on the other side of the highway. It is completely wiped out. It’s devastating with trees down ash everywhere," said Rao.
No stranger to natural disasters like fires, earthquakes and mudslides, many residents say they've never seen anything like this. Until the fires are under control, the sleepless nights will continue.
"We are paying attention to the evacuation zones and our phones and the news to make sure if anything happens, we are ready to go. The most we are is mentally stressed and I think we’re very blessed in that way," added Rao.
Locally, four disaster workers with the American Red Cross, New Jersey region, will deploy to wildfire support relief efforts Thursday morning.