Man from Sudbury had to flee his southern California home due to wildfires

On Thursday, a man from northern Ontario, who now lives in the Los Angeles area, had no idea if his home, in Altadena, Calif., was still standing.

Raymond Francis, who is originally from Sudbury, Ont., moved to southern California to work at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"I don't have any specific information about my own house, whether it is standing or not, but there are many buildings in the neighbourhood that have been destroyed, and houses very close by," Francis said on CBC Radio.

On Wednesday, wind gusts up to 129 km/h, blew embers that ignited block after block in the coastal neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades and in the nearby community of Altadena.

Thousands of homes, businesses and other structures were destroyed in those blazes — called the Palisades and Eaton fires.

By Friday, at least 10 people were confirmed dead in the fires.

Francis said he and his partner were headed to dinner at a friend's house when they first heard about the fires breaking out.

"As I was departing, we got a message from another friend who lives nearby that there was a fire visible from his house, and only a few minutes later, we could see the flames ourselves from my house," he said.

When he spoke with Radio-Canada on Thursday, Francis and his partner were staying with a friend, in the Echo Park neighbourhood of Los Angeles, away from the wildfires.

"It's challenging. Fortunately, I've been able to make contact with many of my friends and colleagues. It's important to remember that, you know what, what matters most is that I'm safe. My partner is here with me, he is also safe," Francis said.