Los Angeles residents from London, Ont., describe devastating ruins of incessant wildfires
Entire neighbourhoods turned to ash, over 130,000 evacuated
Los Angeles residents from London, Ont., say the devastation of streets, houses and other structures caused by raging wildfires has been overwhelming to see and they fear the aftermath of the massive blazes will be much worse.
"I've lived out here since the mid-80s and I don't think I've experienced anything as strong and forceful as these winds. I'm looking at a number of houses that have been destroyed of people I know," actor John Kapelos told CBC's Afternoon Drive on Thursday.
"Not everybody who lives in California is a multimillionaire. There are a lot of [regular] folks here. If you're a person who doesn't have good finances, this is going to be devastating."
Kapelos has worked in films such as The Breakfast Club, Forever Knight and Sixteen Candles. He lives in a highrise condo near La Brea and Franklin avenues in the Hollywood Hills, which was gridlocked Wednesday evening as people scrambled to flee the Sunset Fire in the Hills, he said.
Crews managed to knock down the fire, close to the heart of the entertainment industry, and by morning had lifted an evacuation order for the area. Firefighters have been able to slow the spread of fires after ferocious Santa Ana winds driving the fast-moving flames diminished, but the largest blazes still burned out of control.
As of Thursday, more than 130,000 people have had to flee and thousands of structures are in ruins. At least 10 people have died since the onset of the wildfires on Tuesday. Officials expect the death toll to rise as crews begin searching rubble.
Entire neighbourhoods have been turned to ash and thousands of homes destroyed by the Palisades and Eaton fires — both ranked as the most destructive blazes in Los Angeles history.
"I think this is a game changer for Los Angeles," Kapelos said. "People are going to have to re-evaluate where they live and I'll be surprised if they're going to rebuild in the areas quickly."
David Cooke, a Realtor from London, has lived in the Toluca Lake neighbourhood, near Universal Studios and Warner Bros Studios, for seven years. That area didn't need to be evacuated so he's stayed safe inside his house, but it was surrounded by three different fires, said Cooke.
"It's been scary," he said. "Looking around, you can see the smoke in the air and you're smelling it. Obviously the air quality is terrible right now."
On Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford's office said the province will send 165 urban firefighters, two water bombers, pilots and an incident management team of up to 20 additional staff with expertise in logistics, co-ordination, safety, mapping and response planning.
Fighting the fires has been difficult because high gusting winds have fanned the flames and prevented planes and helicopters from dumping water, and L.A.'s infrastructure is adding to those challenges, said Cooke.
"All these areas that are on fire, the majority of them are in the hills, so those are really narrow and winding roads, and a lot of people park on those streets and are trying to get out, so getting a firetruck up there would be an absolute nightmare. That really slows things down," Cooke said.
"I've had a few people I know who've lost their homes. Right now, they're just in shock because there's places they've been in for decades and all of a sudden everything is gone. Basically they just have what they could fit in their cars and nobody knows the next steps."
Former City of London councillor Nancy Branscombe is staying between Pasadena and Burbank. Although she's safe, the destruction from these fires has been unbelievable, she said, adding a local high school also burned down.
"You still can't quite get your head around it when you see things burned right to the ground. We're safe but nobody is really okay. This has really taken a toll on the whole community. It's so devastating," she said.
"With people's homes, you can rebuild the bricks and mortar but it's all the memories, the photos, all the little knick-knacks that nobody even had time to grab so for me, that's the sad part of it. That chunk of their lives is gone."
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With files from CBC's Amanda Margison, Matt Allen, Andrew Brown and The Associated Press