‘Apocalyptic’: Winnipeggers experience impact of devastating California wildfires – Winnipeg

Wildfires continue to rage in California, with five deaths announced and reports that over 1,000 buildings have been destroyed so far, impacting residents and visitors alike.

A former Winnipegger who has been living in Los Angeles for the past three years told 680 CJOB’s The News that while he’s safe from the disaster, it’s hitting dangerously close to home.

“My friend got an evacuation notice mid-morning — a call at 9:30-10:00 a.m. — and by 2 p.m. his house was gone,” Dave Shore said.

“And now the entire residential area of Pacific Palisades, which is just a bit to the north of Santa Monica, is all gone.

“If I were a Winnipegger, I would imagine that as River Heights burning down. So Grant Park shopping mall is gone, Pizzeria Gusto is gone… that’s how I would imagine it. It’s decimated it.”

Shore said he was only a few miles away from the fires earlier this week, and the impact could not be ignored, even from a safe distance.

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“You see it, smell it, it smells like when farmers are burning chaff in the fall. You get that strong sense that you get in the fall after harvest when farmers are burning.

“It’s a panoramic view of the plumes of smoke, you can see it almost all around.”

A Winnipeg business owner says she’s back from a high-profile gig at the Golden Globes and the chaotic experience of trying to get out of Los Angeles.

Amber Nemeth of HayMad and Co. was making a return visit to Hollywood for the awards show, after being invited to the gifting suite at the Emmys last fall.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I think I would be witnessing a natural disaster of that magnitude firsthand,” Nemeth told 680 CJOB’s The Start.

“It is hard to put into words — I’m sure everyone’s been seeing it on TV, on social. It is apocalyptic, it’s eerie… there is soot in the air, there’s literally ashes and debris falling from the sky. It’s crazy witnessing that firsthand.”

Although Nemeth eventually made it home safe, she said there were countless delays at Los Angeles International Airport, as well as turbulence due to hurricane-force winds once her plane finally took off.

“The turbulence is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It’s insane… it’s very, very scary.

“We literally went right through the smoke, we were going through a black cloud, so there wasn’t much you could see below.”

Despite the experience, Nemeth has another trip to California planned — while in L.A. for the Golden Globes, HayMad and Co. was asked to come back for the Oscars in March with their popular ‘Be Kind’ collection, which supports mental health and wellness.

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5 dead, 1,100+ buildings destroyed in California wildfires

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