Sian McArdle realised the threat was serious on Tuesday, January 7, after her husband showed her footage of his soccer teammate’s house in Altadena, nine miles away from their home in La Crescenta, on fire.
“My husband came through and showed me the cell phone and just said: ‘We’ve got to get moving. We’ve got to pack the bags,’” she said.
“He literally said, ‘The goalie’s house is burning down.’”
Twenty-seven people have died due to the fires and tens of thousands of people have been forced out of their homes.
Paris Hilton and Mel Gibson were among the Hollywood stars who have lost their homes after the wildfires, fuelled by dry conditions and strong winds, ripped across Los Angeles on January 7.
Mrs McArdle spoke to The Press from her home in La Crescenta which the family had to evacuate for several days due to the fire threat.
She, her husband, two children and pet dog stayed at a hotel in the Hollywood area as it was the only place available.
They remained at home on the night of January 7 because there was nowhere for them to go, Mrs McArdle said. “The hotels we called weren’t answering, they were inundated with these poor people whose homes had burned down.”
Recommended reading:
- Gusty winds and extreme fire weather return to Southern California
- Firefighters race to contain LA wildfires as menacing winds forecast to return
- ‘Apocalyptic’ Los Angeles wildfires destroy homes of Hollywood stars
YOU’LL FIND MORE ON THIS STORY AND OTHERS AT www.yorkpressd.co.uk OR PICK UP YOUR COPY OF THE NEWSPAPER ITSELF AVAILABLE SIX DAYS A WEEK AT YOUR LOCAL NEWSAGENT
A riverside path in York has closed due to "structural damage".
TRIBUTES are being paid to war veteran Joseph Thomas who has died aged 99 and will have a memorial funeral service at York Minster tomorrow (Wednesday, January 22).
