LA wildfires: California residents share flame footage and evacuation stories

(LOS ANGELES) — California homeowners shared evacuation stories and video clips of the damaging flames plowing through their community as the Pacific Palisades fire continues to blaze since its start on Tuesday.

Zibby and Kyle Owens, who own a home in Pacific Palisades but also reside in New York, sat down with Diane Macedo on ABC News Live on Wednesday morning, showcasing footage from their Google Nest camera that reveals the devastating flames. The camera faces their backyard, with the fire engulfing the surrounding area and moving closer to their pool.

“This is the worst-case scenario playing out in front of our eyes right now,” Kyle Owens said. “It’s not just a place, it’s a beautiful community.”

The video was the last contact the Owens received from their home since they lost power shortly afterward.

Fires are common in California, and the Owens said they are not new to this experience. The couple recently evacuated from a New Year’s Eve fire that started with fireworks. However, these particularly powerful Santa Ana wind gusts, which allow the fire to burn five football fields per minute, concerned Kyle Owens about the future of this community.

“If we’re able to go back at some point, I don’t know what we are going back to,” Kyle Owens said.

Kyle Owens also discussed how Pacific Palisades, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the area, is particularly difficult to evacuate due to its hillside homes and winding streets. Many friends waited over three hours to get down the mountain, a drive that would normally take around two minutes.

Two other Pacific Palisades residents, Kenny and Tricia Rakusin, who live along the coastline, said they also struggled to escape the fire zone as a buildup of vehicles trying to travel the hill toward Pacific Coast Highway clogged the road. Tricia Rakusin said her daughter also witnessed many people forced to abandon their cars along Sunset Boulevard.

“This neighborhood has been in place for decades, there’s never been a fire anywhere close to where we live,” Tricia Rakusin said. “No one has ever conceived the possibility of this.”

Along with the stress of the destructive flames and imminent damage, Tricia Rakusin said their insurance canceled all policies in their area four months ago.

“When we go up there, it will be from a war zone,” Kenny Rakusin said. “The unknown is really challenging.”

As of now, the Pacific Palisades fire, which is among two other fires in LA County, has grown to at least 3,000 acres and is zero percent contained.

On top of the uncertainty of their home’s condition, the Owens worry the flames could travel to Zibby’s bookshop in Santa Monica, which is also under an evacuation warning. For the Owens and many others, these flames are wiping away businesses and homes full of memories and connection.

“There is so much soul to the neighborhood,” Zibby Owens said. “It’s unthinkable that this place could vanish.”