Cork man among thousands forced to evacuate homes in Los Angeles
Pictures taken on Tuesday night as the wildfire made its way through Pasadena Picture: Owen Dara
A Corkman was among thousands of US residents forced to evacuate their homes amid the ongoing wildfires ravaging the city.
Firefighters in the US were continuing to try and control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.
Owen Dara and his partner Jessica Lancaster were left with no choice but to leave their Pasadena home on Tuesday night, and take refuge in a relative's house.
The Ballintemple native said he was on his way to his regular gig he performs at in the nearby city when he noticed a fire had started on the mountain.
The Eaton fire broke out on Tuesday night and has since burned through thousands of acres in Altadena and Pasadena, resulting in five fatalities so far.
He recalled “horrendous” winds, which were causing palm trees to lean over and blowing branches of trees and roots across many yards.
Upon arriving at the bar, Owen alerted the bartender to the fire which had quickly spread over the surrounding mountains, causing the gig to be called off.
As the night progressed, the winds developed, causing nearby trees to fall and carrying the fire further afield.
Owen, who works as a musician and film maker, said the winds were some of the worst he had experienced in his 17 years living in Los Angeles.
The winds created a cause of concern for the couple, as the strong winds could carry embers for a couple of miles, further exacerbating the dangers of the fire.
The evacuation warning came through at approximately 4.30am, with police sporting megaphones and sirens to alert the residents of the dangers.
“We had our bags packed already, because the potential evacuation warning came in on our phones at about 9pm or 10pm at night saying prepare for evacuation,”
"You take your documents. I took my Irish passport and we just threw all that stuff in a bag and we took the dog and I took my guitar,” he added.
The couple recalled driving through “very very heavy smoke” as they left their home behind to seek refuge in Jessica's brothers residence, two miles from their house.
Although their house is currently safe, he said they are aware of 10 people in the community who have lost their houses just north of them.
Their nearest city, Pasadena, has been hit with devastation, with many of the couple’s favourite amenities such as the dog park, local café’s and their hardware store, no longer standing.
“There’s so much going on, that nobody can get up to date coverage on what streets are affected,” he said.
As it stands, the evacuation notice is expected to remain in place for the coming days, while the fire continues on the mountain side.
Owen maintains a positive outlook on the situation, adding that they have been “very fortunate” where they have lived as they had never been affected by major weather events such as floods or snowstorms.
"Honestly if anything happened, I would take the insurance money and then we could decide if we wanted to stay where we live or if we wanted to move on,” he said.
Elsewhere, a Kerry native living in Los Angeles says the atmosphere in the wake of the ravaging wildfires is “very grim” as they await evacuation notices.
Susan Sheehy Perry lives in the San Fernando valley with her husband Gideon and two children, situated approximately 11 miles from the Palisades fire and about 29 miles from the Eaton fire, both of which are the main fires affecting the area.
Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed in those blazes, with the number expected to increase. The five deaths recorded so far were from the Eaton fire.
While their house has not been directly affected by the wildfires as of yet, the school districts have closed due to strong winds and poor air quality.
Susan, who has lived in the US sporadically for the past 35 years, says the family have their bags packed in case an evacuation notice arises.
She describes the devastation as “six degrees of separation”, adding “everyone knows of someone who knows someone” affected by the fires. Her cousin was forced to evacuate from her house in Hollywood on Wednesday night but fortunately was able to return home.
Susan says her husband’s friend has lost his house in the Palisades fire, while a number of his clients, who he built home cinemas for, are thought to have lost their homes aswell.
“I don’t think we will know the aftermath for quite some time. Since the winds are so high, there is still a chance that we, or people we know will be evacuated and more fires will pop up,” she said.
Susan says there is “definitely some panic” around the area. While California is known for its fires, she fears the Palasides fire is the most destructive, citing its eeriness.
“There are fires in numerous places within a 50/60 mile radius,” she said.
