ABC News reporter Matt Gutman shared heartbreaking personal news Thursday as he reported from the rubble of his aunt's home in the deadly Palisades fire.
While giving viewers of “The View” an inside look at the devastated neighborhoods of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in West Los Angeles, Gutman, the network's chief national correspondent, said he was trying to get the latest updates on the sad news. stopped in front of a house.
“I can feel the heat coming from this house, which happens to be my aunt's house,” Gutman said. told the panel Located one block from the famous Sunset Boulevard.
Gutman's aunt, who was out of town, lost everything in the fire, her nephew said, looking over the ruins of her home.
“Like many people in this part of Los Angeles, I know many people who lost their homes in this fire,” he added.
Gutman said her aunt had the “same reaction” as many victims in that she was suffering mentally but was okay because she wasn't physically injured.
“I'm glad no one died and no one was trapped in their homes,” he said as the camera panned several blocks of the neighborhood gutted by the fire.
The reporter said there was a “real fear” of large-scale fires spreading throughout densely populated Los Angeles County during the dry season due to the “strongest winds in 15 years.”
“It was a perfect storm of events that led to this,” Gutman said.
Gutmann showed the remains of a three-story apartment building where her aunt's house was destroyed, along with kitchen utensils and a bathtub.
Gutman revealed that when she first returned to Los Angeles to cover Hell, her home was threatened with a fire “300 yards away,” but the fire was extinguished before any damage was done.
“My kids were scared, so like hundreds of thousands of other people, I told my family, 'We need to get our go bags right now,'” he said. “We really don’t know at this point, so we need to have it ready for you at the door.”
The Palisades Fire, one of the top five threats threatening Southern California, exploded Tuesday morning, burning nearly 20,000 acres with only 6 percent containment. Calfire announced Thursday night.
At least two people died in the Palisades fire and at least five people died in the Eaton fire.
The two largest and most ferocious infernos destroyed more than 10,000 buildings, including the homes of many celebrities.
