Wildfires continue to rage in California, with five deaths announced and reports that more than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed so far, affecting both residents and visitors.
A former Winnipegger who has lived in Los Angeles for three years told 680 CJOB News that even though he is safe from disaster, it hits dangerously close to home.
“My friend received an evacuation notice mid-morning — a call between 9:30 and 10 a.m. — and by 2 p.m. his house was gone,” Dave Shorr said.
“And now the entire residential area of Pacific Palisades, which is just a little bit north of Santa Monica, is gone.
“If I were a Winnipegger, I would imagine River Heights was burning. Grant Park Mall is gone, Pizzeria Gusto is gone…that’s how I imagine it. He decimated it.
Shorr said he was only a few miles from the fires earlier this week and the impact couldn’t be ignored, even from a safe distance.
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“You see it, you smell it, it smells like when farmers burn chaff 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 returning from a high-profile performance at the Golden Globes and the chaotic experience of trying to leave Los Angeles.
HayMad and Co.’s Amber Nemeth was making a return visit to Hollywood for the awards show, after being invited to the Emmys giveaway suite last fall.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would witness a natural disaster of this magnitude,” Nemeth told 680 CJOB. The beginning.
“It’s hard to put into words – I’m sure everyone has seen it on TV and social media. It’s apocalyptic, it’s eerie… there’s soot in the air, there’s literally ash and debris falling from the sky. It’s crazy to witness this.
Although Nemeth ultimately returned home safely, she said there were countless delays at Los Angeles International Airport, as well as turbulence from high winds from a hurricane once her plane had finally taken off.
“The turbulence is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It’s crazy… it’s very, very scary.
“We literally went through smoke, we were going through a black cloud, so there wasn’t much you could see underneath.”
Despite this experience, Nemeth planned another trip to California: while in Los Angeles for the Golden Globes, HayMad and Co. was invited back for the Oscars in March with its popular “Be Kind” collection, which supports mental health and well-being.
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