A survivor of the Eaton fire that devastated the Altadena area of Los Angeles County recently spoke about her experience battling hell.
Altadena resident Justin Christie spoke with 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 his family has lived in the area since 1967 and has never seen anything as destructive as the Eaton Fire before.
“(I’ve) seen a lot of fires on these hills,” Christie recalled. “When I saw this, when I came out into the street, when I saw the fire coming up the hill, I knew something was different.”
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Justin Christie poses for a photo in front of structures and homes damaged by the Eaton Wildfire in the Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Derek Shook for Getty Images/Fox News Digital)
“I was really scared and started thinking about what I could do to prepare for it.”
Christie said she was particularly surprised to see one of her palm trees catch on fire. This has never happened before. He quickly put his entire family in the car and drove them away from the scene.
“Of all the fires I’ve had, I’ve never had one of our trees catch fire,” he said. “And he was the one who really said, ‘Okay…we’re in big trouble.’”
Christie later drove by her house to check on its condition. When she realized no one could put out the fire in her palm tree, Christie decided to take matters into her own hands and put out the fire herself.
“There were many times I thought the house was going to disappear,” he recalled. “From 8 p.m. to 12 noon. This house burning next to me was the last one that put me in danger.”
“When he finally calmed down… I felt a little relieved.”
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Lawmakers toured a wildfire disaster area in Altadena on Saturday. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
But Christie said that relief was short-lived before his neighbor caught fire in his garage. Christie’s home was not damaged by the fire, but residents described the whole situation as “just shocking”.
“It’s heartbreaking. It’s enough to make me want to cry,” Christie said. “So many people have lost everything.”
“And I never even thought about it…we’ve been here so long…I always thought we were just out of reach of the fire.”
Recalling the experience, Christie described the sounds and sights of the bushfires as “unbelievable.”
A wildfire in Altadena, California, left the Elliott Middle School auditorium almost unrecognizable last Friday. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
“Broken glass, exploding gas lines, people’s propane tanks, cars on fire,” he vividly described. “It just sounded like several freight trains coming towards you.”
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 I was able to get the fire under control. The wind died down at the right time,” he said. “And if I hadn’t….I would have gotten caught on this grate next to me, my house would have caught fire and I would have been done. And there were many times I wanted to get out, but I couldn’t. I stayed.
“If I had left, the house would be gone. It would be completely gone.”
