Swiss journalist reports from Hollywood "I've never experienced anything like this"

The fire disaster in Los Angeles forces thousands to evacuate, including journalist Marlène von Arx. The Swiss journalist tells us how she has experienced the last few days.

The flames blaze, the smoke darkens the sky over Los Angeles. Hollywood is experiencing one of the worst fires in its history. Thousands of people had to leave their homes. Among them was journalist Marlène von Arx. The Swiss woman has lived in the city for 30 years.

"The evacuation alarm suddenly sounded at 5.45 pm on Wednesday evening," recalls von Arx. "Two minutes earlier, a colleague had texted me to say that the mountain near me was on fire." She didn't think twice about it, grabbed her rucksack, got into the car and drove off to her friend's. "I don't actually live near the Palisades fire and thought I was safe." She didn't see the flames of the Sunset Fire directly, but immediately recognized the area of the fire and her street from the television.

The backpack contains the bare essentials: "Medication, the most important documents such as my passport, a power bank, toothbrush, toothpaste, clothes and food for three days and a photo album - if I hadn't been able to travel by car but only on foot, I would have packed less," von Arx tells blue News.

"I was afraid of getting stuck in traffic"

The evacuation itself went surprisingly smoothly, despite the tense situation. "I was more afraid of getting stuck in traffic than of the fire itself," says von Arx. "However, my friend was able to tell me which roads were still open. I got away surprisingly quickly. Others from Hollywood Boulevard probably had a harder time."

However, she was still a little nervous. "I've never had to do anything like this before. But I thought the emergency services would be able to handle it. I could feel a lot of activity in the sky. Fortunately, the great seaplanes could be used. That wouldn't have been possible the day before because of the strong winds," she continues. As a result, the fire could not have been extinguished so quickly.

The wind was still too strong. After spending the night with her friend, von Arx was able to return home the next day.

Air quality is a concern

But the danger is not yet completely averted: "There was another alarm this morning at 4 a.m.," she reports, "The fires are still there, it's just not blowing so strongly anymore." As it turned out, it was a false alarm. Already the second.

The air quality is also a concern: "We can feel the smoke. It's very unhealthy. On TV, we are advised to keep the windows closed and not go out unless we absolutely have to." Masks should also be worn again.

Despite the tense situation, the people around them are remaining calm. "I don't sense any panic," says von Arx. "Above all, people want to be informed. We have good apps that tell us quickly where things are, where to go and where not to go."

A fire is nothing unusual in the Hills, and the winds are also part of the normal weather, "but the intensity this time is quite crazy".