Minnesota storm chaser recounts trying to save friend's home from Palisades fire
MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of building have burned to the ground in Los Angeles, where nearly 200,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as fires rage in the area.
"I was on the east side of the fire, the winds were blowing to the west," said Tanner Charles, a Minnesota storm chaser. He was in Los Angeles to network.
Charles captured video of his friend Orly Israel's family home in the Pacific Palisades that got caught in the path of the fires. The two sprayed water wherever they could, hoping to save the home, but ultimately the home was a complete loss.
"I was like dude, we gotta go," Charles recalled to WCCO. "It's not safe anymore, like we tried."
The scope of the devastation is hard to grasp not only for Charles, but for those who are thousands of miles away.
Kathryn Schmidt from Minnetonka has volunteered with the Red Cross for 25 years. She's one of the roughly dozen Minnesotans set to land in Los Angeles with the nonprofit.
"I really look forward to going and doing my part and helping out," she said. "We are there with help and comfort and a hug if you want one."
She'll be flying out Friday for two weeks, helping to connect family members separated by the disaster.
"Really, your heart goes out to everyone who has lost so much and the pain that they are going through right now, and will go through for quite a while," she said.
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