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Wildfires continue in California, with five deaths announced and reports that more than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed so far, affecting residents and visitors.
A former Winnipegger who has lived in Los Angeles for the past three years told 680 CJOBs The news that while he is safe from the disaster, it hits dangerously close to home.
“My friend got an evacuation notice mid-morning — a call at 9:30-10:00 a.m. — and by 2 p.m. his house was gone,” Dave Shore said.
“And now the entire residential area of Pacific Palisades, which is just a little bit north of Santa Monica, is all gone.
“If I was a Winnipegger, I would imagine River Heights burning down. That Grant Park mall is gone, Pizzeria Gusto is gone … that’s how I would imagine it. It’s decimated.”
Shore said that he was only a few kilometers away from the fires earlier this week, and the impact could not be ignored, even from a safe distance.
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“You see it, it smells, it smells like when farmers burn chaff in the fall. You get that strong feeling you get in the fall after harvest when farmers burn.
“It’s a panoramic view of the smoke plumes, you can see it almost anywhere.”
A Winnipeg business owner says she’s back from a high-profile appearance at the Golden Globes and the chaotic experience of trying to get out of Los Angeles.
Amber Nemeth of HayMad and Co was making a return visit to Hollywood for the awards ceremony, after she was invited to the gifting suite at the Emmys last fall.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would witness a natural disaster of that magnitude,” Nemeth told 680 CJOB’s The Start.
“It’s hard to put into words – I’m sure everyone has seen it on TV, on social. It’s apocalyptic, it’s terrifying… there’s soot in the air, there’s falling literally ash and debris from the sky. It’s crazy to see that first hand.”
Although Nemeth eventually made it home safely, she said there were countless delays at Los Angeles International Airport, as well as turbulence from hurricane-force winds when her plane finally took off.
“The turbulence is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It’s crazy … it’s very, very scary.
“We were literally going through the smoke, we were going through a black cloud, so there wasn’t much you could see below.”
Despite the experience, Nemeth has planned another trip to California — while in LA for the Golden Globes, HayMad and Co. were asked to return for the Oscars in March with their popular ‘Be Kind’ collection, which supports mental health and wellbeing.
& copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
