Wildfires continue to rage through California, with five deaths announced and reports that more than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed so far, affecting residents and visitors alike.
A former Winnipegger who has been living in Los Angeles for the past three years told 680 CJOB The news that while it is safe from disaster, it is coming dangerously close to home.
“My friend received an evacuation notice mid-morning (a call between 9:30 and 10:00 am) and by 2 pm his house was gone,” Dave Shore said.
“And now the entire residential area of Pacific Palisades, which is a little bit north of Santa Monica, is gone.
“If I were a Winnipegger, I would picture it as River Heights burning. So Grant Park Mall is gone, Gusto Pizzeria is gone…that's how I imagine it. “It has decimated it.”
Shore said he was just a few miles from the fires earlier this week and the impact could not be ignored, even from a safe distance.
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“You see it, you smell it, it smells like when farmers burn straw in the fall. You get that strong feeling you get in the fall after the harvest, when the farmers are burning.
“It's a panoramic view of the smoke plumes, you can see it almost everywhere.”
A Winnipeg business owner says she's back from a high-profile Golden Globes concert and the chaotic experience of trying to leave Los Angeles.
HayMad and Co.'s Amber Nemeth was returning to Hollywood for the awards show, after being invited to the gifting suite at the Emmys last fall.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would witness a natural disaster of that magnitude firsthand,” Nemeth told 680 CJOB. The beginning.
“It's hard to put it into words; I'm sure everyone has seen it on TV and social media. It's apocalyptic, it's haunting… there's soot in the air, there's literally ash and debris falling from the sky. “It’s crazy to witness that firsthand.”
Although Nemeth eventually arrived home safely, she said there were countless delays at Los Angeles International Airport, as well as turbulence due to hurricane-force winds once her plane finally took off.
“The turbulence is like nothing I have ever experienced. It's crazy… it's very, very scary.
“We were literally going through smoke, we were going through a black cloud, so you couldn't see much below.”
Despite the experience, Nemeth plans another trip to California; While in Los Angeles for the Golden Globes, HayMad and Co. were asked to return for the Oscars in March with their popular 'Be Kind' collection, which supports mental health and wellness.
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