California wildfires hit close to home for FOX 4 Reporter Dionne Anglin
FORT WORTH, Texas - The images of the devastating western wildfires in California are heartbreaking.
With lives and homes lost, it's leaving many wondering what to do next.
The devastation is hitting too close to home for my family.
My 25-year-old daughter, Madison Anglin, is a music composer living in Los Angeles. The last three days have been nerve-wracking and chaotic.
"I think for me, it’s been more on the side of being surreal," she said. "You’re in a moment you can’t really process all this happening."
Wednesday morning, we made decisions fast while she was still inside her West Hollywood apartment.
"I woke up, not really knowing the severity, what was going on around me until I looked out my window and saw soot on the apartments surrounding," Madison recalled. "The sky was more black than blue. At that point, I decided it was probably best to leave, even though I had not gotten an evacuation order."
Later that night, the Hollywood Hills fire would break out just four streets over from her apartment building.
Madison’s employer, Marcie Van Mol, secured a hotel room for her in Marina Del Rey. The stay was limited to one night due to massive bookings by homeowners from Pacific Palisades.
"It was a real sad sight to see. Some people still in their pajamas. A lot of their dogs in the hotel," she recalled. "You could hear hushed conversations about not knowing if the house was still standing, neighbors who knew each other. It was very surreal, definitely very surreal to see."
With a tank of gas and a couple of bags of her belongings, Madison went from Marina Del Rey to Anaheim, where a group of music composer friends invited her to crash at a rented house. She was in the backyard of that house for this interview, but they had to check out Friday. Another relocation.
In a word, she’s exhausted, trying to stay tuned to news reports about the firefighting efforts.
"I’ve been struggling with whether or not I should need to just stay up through the night in case something pops up or do my best to get sleep in case I have to be up and be ready to be driving for a long amount of time," she said.
I asked her some mother questions. Do you have gas in your car? Is your tank full so you can get to the next location in the best way possible?
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"Yes, I filled my car up with gas before things got too crazy," she said.
For now, there’s optimism music will soon again be her main focus and prayers for everyone affected, also calmer winds and the ongoing firefighting efforts.