Entertainment correspondent Ross King has admitted to feeling “so scared” as he faces the prospect of evacuating his Los Angeles home amid raging wildfires.
Within the past day, Hollywood Hills residents, including Ross, were hit with a mandatory evacuation order following the wildfire’s tenacious spread through Los Angeles, USA, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Connecting via video link with Good Morning Britain hosts Ranvir Singh and Ed Balls, Ross offered a glimpse into his tense situation: “We’re under evacuation orders at the moment. They’re not mandatory, but I tell you, it’s such a weird feeling when you’re packing up the car. You know we’re getting everything ready.”
The LA-based correspondent continued, painting a vivid picture of his ordeal: “You go round the house and you take photographs and you’re thinking ‘this might be the last time you actually see the house,’ and that’s why your heart breaks when you see so many homes, you know we’re talking about thousands of structures gone.”
Ross also shared personal accounts of friends’ losses: “I’ve got friends in Malibu who lost their house on a beach, three other people I know have completely lost their homes and when you get that feeling it is one of the weirdest and one of the scariest things that I’ve gone through!”
At 62, Ross revealed his shock at the unprecedented disaster: “I’ve never known anything like it in my 25 years here in Los Angeles, and when you look out there and see these firefighters doing the most unbelievable job.”
Fortunately, the winds in the area have remained relatively calm, allowing helicopters to drop water and help extinguish a significant portion of the fire.
However, the situation remains dire. Ross explained: “We’ve been so fortunate that the winds haven’t been too bad in this area, the helicopters could get in and they could drop a load of water and hopefully put out the majority of the fire that is going on at the moment. But it really is, it’s so scary!”
The devastating blaze has impacted numerous residents, including several high-profile celebrities who reside in the affected region. Notably, recent reports have confirmed that Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton are among the celebrities who have lost their homes to the wildfires.
Furthermore, actor James Woods became emotional during a CNN interview, breaking down in tears as he recounted the loss of his Pacific Palisades property.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1.