Survivors of the devastating Eaton Fire, which devastated the Altadena area of Los Angeles County, recently spoke out about their experiences fighting hell.
Altadena resident Justin Christie spoke to Fox News Digital about his experience Saturday afternoon. As of Saturday evening, the Eaton Fire, which started Tuesday, was only 15% contained.
Christie explained that her family has lived in the area since 1967, but she has never seen anything as destructive as the Eaton Fire.
”[I’ve seen] “There were a lot of fires on this hillside,” Christie recalled. He told me it was different.”
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Justin Christie is photographed in front of a view of buildings and homes damaged by the Eaton Wildfire in the Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Getty Images/Derek Shook, FOX News Digital)
“I got really scared and started thinking, [about] What did I have to do to prepare for it? ”
Christie said she was especially alarmed after seeing one of her palm trees on fire. He quickly loaded the entire family into his car and drove away from the scene.
“In all the fires we've had, our trees have never caught fire,” he said. “And it really said, okay…we’re in big trouble.”
Later, Christy drives by the house to check on the situation, but notices that no one is trying to put out the palm tree fire, so Christy takes matters into her own hands and does it herself. I decided to put out the fire.
“Many times I thought I would lose my home,” he recalls. “From 8 p.m. to noon. This house that burned next to me was the last one that put me in danger.”
“When that thing finally calmed down…I felt a little relieved.”
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Members of Congress toured wildfire-affected areas in Altadena on Saturday. (Derek Schock, FOX News Digital)
But Christie said that relief was short-lived when another neighbor caught fire in his garage. Christie's home was unharmed in the fire, but residents described the entire situation as “simply shocking.”
“It's heartbreaking. It's enough to make me want to cry,” Christie said. “So many people lost everything.”
“And I never, ever thought…we've been here a long time…I always thought we were far enough out of reach of the fire.”
Looking back on the experience, Christie described the sounds and sights of the wildfires as “incredible.”
A wildfire broke out in Altadena, California, on Friday, rendering the Elliott Middle School auditorium almost unrecognizable. (Derek Schock, FOX News Digital)
“Sharded glass, explosions from gas lines, people's propane tanks, cars on fire,” he vividly described. “It sounded like several freight trains coming towards us.”
Overall, Christie said it was nothing short of a miracle that her home survived the Eaton fire.
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“It was a miracle that we got the fire… at one point the wind stopped,” he said. “If it hadn't been for that… this trellis next to me would have caught fire and my house would have caught fire and I would have been done. And there were a few times I wanted to walk away. But I would have left.'' I stayed.
“If I had left, the house would have been gone. It would have been completely gone.”
