L.A. Residents Describe Shock and Surprise as They Fled Fast-Growing Fire Burning Through the City: 'We Were Choking on Smoke'

Mar. 15, 2025

Fire raging in Pacific Palisades, in Los Angeles, California on Jan. 7.Photo:Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty

Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty

Asfires continue to burnout of control across parts of Southern California, residents are recalling the harrowing moments of their escape from the area.An estimated 30,000 residents were evacuated from the Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas on Tuesday, Jan. 7, while more than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed.Two fatalities have been recorded, Los Angeles County authorities said in a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 8.For Sheriece Wallace, a family member first alerted her that she was in danger on Tuesday.“I was like, ‘It’s raining,’ ” Wallace told theAssociated Pressabout what was later determined to be a helicopter dousing her home with water. “She’s like, ‘No, it’s not raining. Your neighborhood is on fire. You need to get out.’ ”Wallace continued, “As soon as I opened my door, it was like right there. The first thing I did was look at the trees to see where the wind was blowing. Because it hit me. It blew me back.”Connor Benavides also evacuated from his home, located near the Eaton fire, which is near Pasadena.People watch the smoke and flakes from the Palisades fire in Los Angeles.Tiffany Rose/Getty“I evacuated thankfully, but my god, we were choking on smoke, we were dodging embers,” he told local NBC affiliateKNBC. “I just made it to a friend’s house, south of the fire, but, yeah, we’re still pretty shaken up here.”For Pacific Palisades resident Darrin Hurwitz, evacuating his home was a split-second decision.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“We saw smoke from our house sometime after 10:30 in the morning,” Hurwitz toldMSNBCon Wednesday, Jan. 8. “It looked close, but not that close at first. We quickly gathered up whatever possessions we could quickly get, and then it exploded.”He continued, “Within 10-20 minutes, there wasn’t one fire, there were multiple fires as embers were sort of criss-crossing the area. And the ferocity of the fire led us to think we need to get out of our house very quickly.”Pasadena resident Jennie Girardo described her shock at the surreal situation when a neighbor came to check on her.“When I opened my door, it smelled like I was living inside of a fireplace,” Girardo told the AP. “Then I also started to see the ash. And I’ve never seen that in my life. Like raining ash.”

Asfires continue to burnout of control across parts of Southern California, residents are recalling the harrowing moments of their escape from the area.

An estimated 30,000 residents were evacuated from the Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas on Tuesday, Jan. 7, while more than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed.Two fatalities have been recorded, Los Angeles County authorities said in a press conference on Wednesday, Jan. 8.

For Sheriece Wallace, a family member first alerted her that she was in danger on Tuesday.

“I was like, ‘It’s raining,’ ” Wallace told theAssociated Pressabout what was later determined to be a helicopter dousing her home with water. “She’s like, ‘No, it’s not raining. Your neighborhood is on fire. You need to get out.’ ”

Wallace continued, “As soon as I opened my door, it was like right there. The first thing I did was look at the trees to see where the wind was blowing. Because it hit me. It blew me back.”

Connor Benavides also evacuated from his home, located near the Eaton fire, which is near Pasadena.

People watch the smoke and flakes from the Palisades fire in Los Angeles.Tiffany Rose/Getty

Tiffany Rose/Getty

“I evacuated thankfully, but my god, we were choking on smoke, we were dodging embers,” he told local NBC affiliateKNBC. “I just made it to a friend’s house, south of the fire, but, yeah, we’re still pretty shaken up here.”

For Pacific Palisades resident Darrin Hurwitz, evacuating his home was a split-second decision.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“We saw smoke from our house sometime after 10:30 in the morning,” Hurwitz toldMSNBCon Wednesday, Jan. 8. “It looked close, but not that close at first. We quickly gathered up whatever possessions we could quickly get, and then it exploded.”

He continued, “Within 10-20 minutes, there wasn’t one fire, there were multiple fires as embers were sort of criss-crossing the area. And the ferocity of the fire led us to think we need to get out of our house very quickly.”

Pasadena resident Jennie Girardo described her shock at the surreal situation when a neighbor came to check on her.

“When I opened my door, it smelled like I was living inside of a fireplace,” Girardo told the AP. “Then I also started to see the ash. And I’ve never seen that in my life. Like raining ash.”

source: people.com