Video shows California couple's hair-raising escape from their home during Eaton Fire
A video shows the hair-raising evacuation of a California couple escaping the Eaton Fire, which has damaged thousands of structures in Los Angeles County.
It shows glimpses of the 34 minutes Jeffrey Ku and his wife Cheryl spent rushing out of their residence in Altadena on January 7 as they saw the flames in the distance, Storyful reported. The moment was described as "pure terror," as Ku thought he wouldn't see his home again.
He shared the footage, which was partly captured via doorbell camera, of the evacuation on Instagram. As of Wednesday afternoon, it had garnered nearly 35 million views.
"Winds gusting, no electricity, we grabbed what we could," Ku wrote in the caption. "I took videos of the fire between trips to the car and I never would have imagined how quickly the conditions could get worse. By the time we left, smoke had filled the air making it hard to breath, embers flying everywhere, and the sky was bright orange."
'Save our house'
In the video, Ku's wife asks him to step outside to see the fire appear on the hillside near their home.
"No, no," Ku could be heard saying as the blaze continued. "Please, God, save us, save our house."
Before leaving, Ku is seen spraying his roof. Toward the end of the video, he said goodbye to his beloved home. However, in the Instagram caption, he clarified that it "still stands."
"We have many friends who have lost everything. We are heartbroken and devastated for our community and Los Angeles," Ku wrote."We are so thankful to all the first responders and the heroes who continue to fight the fires and help those in need."
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for Paste BN. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.