Wildfires are still burning in California, with five people reported dead and more than 1,000 structures reported destroyed so far, impacting residents and visitors alike.
A former Winnipegger employee who has been living in Los Angeles for the past three years told CJOB 680 News That while he is safe from the disaster, it hits dangerously close to home.
“My friend got an eviction notice mid-morning — a call at 9:30 to 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 a little north of Santa Monica, is gone.
“If I were a Winnipegger, I would imagine it like River Heights burning. Grant Park Mall is gone, Pizzeria Gusto is gone…that’s how I picture it. It’s decimated.”
Shore said he was only a few miles away from the fires earlier this week, and the impact couldn’t be ignored, even from a safe distance.
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“You see it, you smell it, it smells like farmers burning hay in the fall. You get that strong feeling you get in the fall after harvest when farmers are burning.
“It’s a panoramic view of smoke plumes, and you can see them almost everywhere.”
One Winnipeg business owner says she’s coming back from a high-profile Golden Globes gig 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 gift suite at the Emmys last fall.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would witness a natural disaster of this magnitude firsthand,” Nemeth told 680 CJOB. the beginning.
“It’s hard to put into words – I’m sure everyone is watching it on TV and on social media. It’s horrific, it’s eerie… There’s soot in the air, there’s ash and debris falling from the sky. It’s crazy to witness it firsthand.” .
Although Nemeth eventually made it home safely, she said there were countless delays at Los Angeles International Airport, as well as turbulence caused by high winds once her plane finally took off.
“The turmoil is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. It’s crazy…it’s very scary.
“We literally went through smoke, we were going through a black cloud, so there wasn’t much you could see down there.”
Despite this experience, Nemeth is planning another trip to California – while in Los Angeles for the Golden Globe Awards, HayMad and Co. were asked to… Returning for the Oscars in March with their popular “Be Kind” collection, which supports mental health and wellness.
&Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
