L.A. County fire victims recall evacuation chaos, Red Cross sends volunteers
ALTADENA, Calif. - The American Red Cross says it’s sending volunteers from across the country to Los Angeles County, including staff from the Northern California region.
"When I went to my bathroom window, I saw that orange hue. I just said I’m on my way. It was frightening. It was like the sky was glowing," said Sigma Scott, an Eaton Fire victim who lived in Altadena.
Scott says she called her sister as she was being evacuated and her husband, Dutch Merrick, stayed behind to try and water down their home. Merrick posted the video on his Facebook page.
"I noticed that our neighbor’s king palm lit up like a Roman candle. That was at five in the morning. I was in a hailstorm of cinders flying everywhere, just swirling hot cinders, and I said that’s it. We’re done," said Merrick.
Scott says they grabbed what they could as the fire roared towards them, but she’s still thinking of her neighbors who had lived on their block for 60 years.
"We didn’t really think to knock on the door because we were just trying to get out. We just thought everybody was going to wait until somebody said, 'You got to go now. I feel like we were all waiting for somebody to say you got to go now!" said Scott.
Scott says they’re staying with family for the time being and, like thousands of others, they’ll have to rebuild their lives. The Northern CA Regional CEO for the Red Cross says they’re sending volunteers from across the country to help survivors in Los Angeles County.
"We have multiple shelters that we’re running, or our partners are running, to get people out of harm’s way and make sure they have a hot meal to eat," said Hanna Malak, CEO of Red Cross Northern California Region.
Malak says they’re also doing what they can to help people cope with the devastation.
"We’re helping refill those prescriptions or medical devices that people had to leave. We also have mental health volunteers onsite because it can be very tragic to not know if your home is there when they return."
Scott’s loved ones have started a GoFundMe account for them and Malak says the best way to help is to donate money online to the Red Cross or offer to volunteer.
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