Nebraska couple shares story of evacuating during Los Angeles fires

Nancy and Paul Jelinek were staying at a family home in Altadena, California — which is about 30 minutes from Los Angeles — when tragedy struck.

The couple had just returned from a vacation in Hawaii and were taking time to recuperate before returning to Omaha when they had to evacuate Tuesday night.

“I heard sirens going down the street below us, Altadena Drive,” Paul said. “I went to the back bedroom, looked out the window, and the whole mountain was on fire and blowing our way.”

The Los Angeles fires have killed at least five people and destroyed over 25,000 acres of land. High winds have made it hard for first responders to contain the fires.

“This is just going to change LA forever,” Paul said.

The Jelinek’s family home is right by Eaton Canyon, where one of the largest fires burned. The power had been shut off earlier on Tuesday to protect from power lines sparking, so when the Jelinek’s evacuated, they only had their flashlights to help.

The first hotel the couple went to didn’t have power and couldn’t open the doors, so they went to another one across the street. Paul said the lobby doors at the second hotel wouldn’t stay closed due to the winds, so there were leaves everywhere.

“People were there with dogs and pets and things, and all checking in,” Paul said. “We were able to get in there, and from our room, I could see the mountain on fire all night long.”

The next morning, the couple returned to their neighborhood to see what happened. The farther they drove into the neighborhood, the more houses they started to see had burned.

Nancy spent her teen years in the area, and she said it was hard to see the damage.

“It's devastating,” Nancy said. “I've been in that neighborhood since 1978 and just to see those homes destroyed like that, it makes my heart ache. It’s terrible.”

One of their friend’s homes who lived a few streets away was still burning Wednesday morning when they went to check on it.

“It was a brick house, and they were hoping it was going to be okay,” Paul said. “Unfortunately, it was still burning when we came around the corner.”

The Jelineck’s house was still standing. There was ash and smoke in it though, so they are staying elsewhere in California until they can hopefully return to Omaha next week.