Los Angeles On Fire: A Personal Update

Many of you have seen the horrific photos and video of the wildfires currently ravaging Los Angeles County and reached out to ask if I am okay. Thankfully, my family is well…but we are not out of the woods yet.

Los Angeles Wildfires Update

A toxic combination of high winds and unseasonally dry weather (for months) has sparked numerous wildfires across Los Angeles County. Last night, another new one sprang up in the Hollywood Hills and the Pacific Palisades fire has ravaged thousands of homes.

I live in the Pasadena area, where the Eaton Fire is burning out of control, with containment still at 0%.

Our house is still standing and we have not been asked to evacuate: we are in an evacuation warning zone, however. Meanwhile, my mother and uncle, who both live nearby, have been without power for 24 hours.

The sobering thing? We hiked through Eaton Canyon just a week ago…our friends live nearby in Altadena. They lost their house: all that remains is a chimney.

My family took a short holiday after Christmas and earlier this week while Heidi and the kids flew home, I flew to the East Coast for business…so while I’m looking out the window at sub-freezing temperatures and a blanket of snow, they are enduring harsh winds and the worst fires in the recorded history of LA.

Schools have been canceled for the rest of the week and many businesses are closed.

No exaggeration: I am uneasy over all this. The nature of my commitment here makes it impossible for me to be home, but I have instructed Heidi to gather up our artwork, passports, and other important documents should there be a fire. I’ve also booked them a hotel room for tonight, though we have many family and friends who have graciously offered to house us.

The weather improved overnight, but the fire is still out of control…I take nothing for granted.

Since this is a travel blog, I’ll also note that flights are continuing to operate out of 3/4 of the Southern California airports, including Los Angeles International, Orange County, and Ontario. Most flights into Burbank-Hollywood are suspended. All airlines have issued travel waivers for those traveling out of these four airports.

Please stay safe out there.

image: Mark Viniello