A woman who previously lived in New Orleans and was forced to evacuate during Hurricane Katrina will now be evacuated again because of wildfires in Southern California.
“People often say it’s like the apocalypse, it’s like a movie set in Los Angeles,” Daniel LaBelle Walsh told KTLA sister station WGNO.
This is not a movie being filmed in Los Angeles, this is a real life event and a nightmare.
“I’m so scared, I can’t sleep, I can’t rest, I’m on high alert all the time,” Lovell-Walsh said.
Crews try to extinguish Palisades fire as high winds return
The fire that threatened her home was part of the Sunset Fire that broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night.
“It was just this glow and I could see the flames. I opened the front door and it was right there, so I started knocking on my neighbor’s door,” she said.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 8: A helicopter is seen creating water droplets during the Sunset Fire on January 8, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate amid fears the fire could invade residential areas.
For LaBelle Walsh, who lived in New Orleans, being evacuated was all too familiar. She was among those forced to evacuate during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She also expressed concern about the looting that has been a victim in the wake of Katrina. Los Angeles authorities announced the arrest of several people on suspicion of looting.
Progress continues to be made on the Eaton Fire, but crews are now preparing for more Santa Ana winds
“It brings back so many memories. I was shaking and I couldn’t believe it was this close. It was very similar to a hurricane situation. You could see it coming and you could see it. ” she said. Said.
Flames can be seen on the hillside above Hollywood Boulevard. On January 8, 2025, during the Sunset Fire in Hollywood, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
And LaBelle-Walsh wants to give New Orleanians some perspective on the scale of the fires near their homes.
“It was the size of the entire French Quarter and the entire Lower Garden District, and it was all leveled and everything was gone,” she said.
The wildfire ultimately burned at least 43 acres, and its flames were visible across Hollywood until it was completely extinguished Thursday afternoon. Most evacuation orders due to the fire were lifted within hours, and Lovell-Walsh was able to return home safely.
Search for dog roaming in fire-ravaged area
Still, she told WGNO she doesn’t feel like she’s in the clear.
“I slept with my shoes on. The car was still full of luggage, the gas tank was full, and I was ready to go,” Lovell-Walsh said. “We’re still nervous about the fires, we’re still nervous about the many hot spots. I still have to remind myself to take care of myself, and I’m trying.”
As of Sunday, Southern California fire officials said the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, and Hearst fires had burned about 62 square miles, an area larger than San Francisco.
With wind conditions expected to worsen this week, Los Angeles area firefighters are in a critical stage of extinguishing the two largest fires, the Palisades and Eaton fires.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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