New Zealand born singer Lisa Crawley has spoken about the moment she had to evacuate her Los Angeles home amid raging wildfires that have claimed at least 16 lives and razed thousands of buildings so far.
Crawley, who was previously based in West Auckland but now resides in LA, only had time to grab her cat Iris, her computer and a change of clothes before she had to evacuate her apartment near Runyon Canyon due to the threat of the Sunset Fire.
“I’d been home for 30 minutes after running some errands when I got the notification, so I immediately notified my two neighbours that I’m close with - they weren’t home and one of them had pets so I called them immediately,” Crawley told the Herald.
“As I opened my door, the neighbour underneath was yelling ‘fire’ and evacuating with her kids.”
Lisa Crawley managed to save herself and her cat Iris. Photo / Instagram
Crawley said she felt “extremely lucky” to have a vehicle she could use to evacuate as she had been involved in a bad car accident just weeks ago.
“I quickly drove to a friend’s place who also notified me about the fires close by who lives in Studio City while I watched Runyon Canyon go up in flames,” Crawley recalled.
However, arriving at her friend’s place did not mean she was entirely safe as, just an hour and a half later, a separate fire broke out near the home. Fortunately, the fire turned out to be smaller and was put out by “a large water drop by a helicopter”.
The Kiwi musician, who has lived in Los Angeles for five years, was left shaken up by the emergency.
“Unsurprisingly, I was too scared to sleep and had no idea if I would have an apartment to go home to until later the next day, but unlike so many, my home was safe from that particular fire,” she said.
“I feel extremely lucky, however will never forget driving away from the biggest fire I’ve ever seen. It felt extremely apocalyptic and still does as - and proof that things can change within minutes/seconds, so at the moment every siren or phone notification makes my heart race.”
Lisa Crawley kept fans and loved ones updated via social media. Photo / Instagram
Crawley says she has lost gigs and some work but has friends who have lost everything.
“On a positive note, it has been incredibly moving to see people coming together and helping each other out so much,” she added.
“There are so many amazing, generous, decent people here donating and helping those who have lost everything. The firefighters are working 24 hours despite budget cuts and there’s a lot of access to shelters for humans and animals.”
The Kiwi singer added that she is “extremely grateful to those back in Aotearoa who have been checking in and offering support and concern”.
“I have had some of my best days here in LA, but at the same time have never felt more homesick.”
Kiwi dancer Parris Goebel evacuates home as devastating LA fires spread
Another Kiwi artist, Parris Goebel, had to evacuate her Los Angeles home due to the wildfires.
The choreographer had to leave her San Fernando Valley home over the weekend as the massive fires spread into untouched parts of the city.
The 33-year-old, who’s worked alongside pop stars Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Justin Bieber, told her social media followers she’d been instructed to evacuate by authorities, posting a picture of her pet dog Prince and packed bags ready to move.
Kiwi dancer Parris Goebel was ordered to evacuate her Los Angeles home amid raging wildfires. Image / Instagram
“Thank you to everyone reaching out, we are safe,” said Goebel, who encouraged followers to volunteer at a local YMCA she visited before evacuating.
Tauranga-raised singer-songwriter Naomi Ludlow – better known as Ny Oh – told Stuff of being ordered to move from her Topanga Canyon home and checking on older people in her neighbourhood.
“I’ve been watching my friends lose their homes, and it’s horrible to see.”
16 dead so far, death toll likely to rise
At least 16 people were known to have died, with the toll likely to rise. At least another 16 people are missing and search and rescue operations are currently under way.
Among the confirmed victims was Australian and British former child star Rory Callum Sykes.
Shelley Sykes attempted to save her 32-year-old son, who was born with cerebral palsy, by putting out the flames on his Malibu cottage, but found that their water supply wasn’t working.
“He said, ‘mom leave me’ and no mom can leave their kid,” she told Australia’s 10 News First.
“And I’ve got a broken arm, I couldn’t lift him, I couldn’t move him.”
In Altadena, north of Pasadena, retired salesman and amputee Anthony Mitchell perished alongside his son Jordan, who was in his 20s and also had cerebral palsy.
Hajime White told media her father had been waiting for an ambulance to come for them, but it never arrived; Mitchell was later found by the side of his son’s bed.
Actress Jennifer Garner, who’s been volunteering with food relief efforts, confirmed to MSNBC that a close friend of hers had also died.
Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner revealed she lost a friend in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Photos / MSNBC
“She didn’t get out in time,” said the 52-year-old Golden Globe winner, who became too emotional to continue.
She said many of her friends lost everything they had.
“My heart bleeds for my friends. I mean, I can think of 100 families, and there are 5000 homes lost,” she told reporters.
“I can, without even [thinking], I could just write out a list of 100 friends who lost their homes.”
Celebrities whose homes have been confirmed destroyed include socialite Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore, James Woods, Anna Faris, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, as well as Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag, Melissa Rivers, and former talk show host Ricki Lake.
