'It was an inferno': southern Californians left dumbstruck by week of wildfire hell

miscellaneous

miscellaneous / miscellaneous 250 Views comments

Residents of the picturesque town of Ojai and nearby Ventura describe their horror at the pace and ferocity of wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area

When the firestorm ravaging southern California came to the idyllic mountain farmland of the upper Ojai valley, 90 minutes’ drive northwest of Los Angeles, Deon de Wet thought he was ready.

He had thick firemen’s hoses with brass nozzles set up around his property, a farmhouse which doubles as a yoga studio and healing centre. He was dressed in a thick coat and winter muffler which he doused with water so he could withstand intense heat, if necessary, to defend the home that he and his wife have enjoyed for the past nine years.

I’ve been here since the 1980s and this is the worst I’ve ever lived through

Related: Ventura county is burning. My hometown is climate change's latest victim | Steven Thrasher

The clouds were like something out of a movie, so angry, so threatening. It was almost biblical

Continue reading...

Comments