COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- As deadly wildfires continue ravaging Los Angeles, people with Ohio ties have had to evacuate their Los Angeles County homes.
For many living in Ohio, it’s tough to imagine what these past couple of days have been like for those living in Los Angeles during this time.
Three people with ties to central Ohio are now in the line of fire, two of whom are experiencing wildfires for the first time, while for a third, this isn’t her first rodeo.
“The first one that I did was in 2017 for the Tubbs Fire, and I did lose my house in that one, so we ended up rebuilding for that,” said Jessie Laub, who lives in Santa Monica. “But with this evacuation, it was very like it just felt very reminiscent to the Tubbs fire, which also had like 70, 80 mile an hour winds, and it was just really, like, a fast-progressing fire. So yeah, I'm hoping that this will not happen to me for a second time, but you never know.”
Laub, Nick Thompson, and Charlie Humbert all live in Los Angeles. Thompson is from Columbus, Humbert is from Cincinnati, and Laub is a Los Angeles native. They all met while attending Ohio University. Laub now lives in Santa Monica, while Thompson and Humbert live in Burbank.
“I have never dealt with anything like this before so, I mean, I didn't really understand, like, the severity of it or if it was really anything to be worried about,” Thompson said. “Maybe like a couple of hours later, I look out my window and what I thought was like clouds was actually, like, the fire, like the Palisades fire, like the smoke from earlier was, like, rising in the sky. And I was like, ‘Oh, that's what they were talking about.’”
The three are now all safe in San Diego. For both Thompson and Humbert, they have only been living in Los Angeles for about eight months, so this was a first for them.
“We drove down past downtown L.A. and it was like you could tell, like from the light of the buildings, that the air was completely smokey,” Humbert said. “The moon even looked kind of orange. Just the air itself smelled very smokey, like it didn't feel safe.”
Laub, unfortunately, isn’t new to this. She made sure to remind both men to grab any important documents they had and any valuables that can’t be replaced if lost.
“It never gets easier,” she said. “Like it's always kind of a reminder that, ‘Oh yeah, like I actually do have PTSD from the first fire.’ It's not fun to look at and my heart really does go out to all the victims because I have experienced that firsthand, so I know what that's like.”
One thing Laub said is, it’s important to check in with loved ones during a time like this.
As of right now, the three plan to stay in San Diego until it’s safe to go back.
