Alberta woman and her family lose nearly everything in L.A. fires

Leigh Ann Biety and her household are yet capable to unbend aft arriving successful Canmore, Alta., connected Saturday. They mislaid astir everything they owned aft the quick-moving Eaton fire destroyed their location successful Altadena, Calif.

Leigh Ann, who grew up successful Edmonton but moved to L.A. to prosecute a movie career, says the flames were hardly disposable astatine first.

“I conscionable noticed retired the window, conscionable the smallest flicker of light,” Leigh Ann told Global News. “It could person been similar a candle connected a cake.”

Leigh Ann’s hubby Denton Biety had gone retired to bargain batteries, arsenic the section inferior institution had disconnected powerfulness to homes successful the neighbourhood. By the clip helium got home, helium said, the occurrence had moved overmuch closer.

“It is gone from this small flicker, you cognize connected the different broadside of the hill, to present what’s roaring successful these winds,” helium explained.

Both Leigh Ann and Denton rapidly started packing what they could, portion Denton’s parent – who was visiting from Florida – kept their 2 young sons calm.

From the clip they archetypal noticed the occurrence to erstwhile they got successful the car to flight the rapidly approaching wildfire, lone 14 minutes had passed.

They chose to thrust crossed the city, to enactment with friends. Other radical they knew who lived adjacent to their location besides offered accommodation, but Denton said helium knew that wouldn’t person lasted long.

“They were truthful sweet, they said ‘Well travel enactment with us, we’ve got a suite successful the basement,'” Denton said. “Four hours later, their location was gone.”

The Bietys past stayed astatine a fewer hotels that were hosting radical who fled the fires. While there, they were capable to benignant done donations to banal up connected much clothes.

Trending Now

Leigh Ann said the kindness shown by strangers was unbelievable astatine times. She recalled 1 pistillate bringing them a container filled with presents for their sons aft learning it had precocious been 1 of their birthdays.

Denton returned to their location a time oregon 2 aft leaving to spot what was near – to spot if thing had been spared.

“It was inactive smoking, everything had burned wholly to the ground,” Denton said, “except for 2 chimneys lasting there.”

Although Leigh Ann moved to Altadena 19 years ago, she and her household instrumentality to Canmore regularly, visiting her parent and taking successful the sights.

While they hold for things similar security to beryllium sorted out, they said they mean to instrumentality to Altadena erstwhile it’s safe, and they tin find suitable accommodations.

“I deliberation this is what it’s about. We landed (Saturday), we had a bully night’s rest,” said Leigh Ann. “Now we’re hoping to get that slumber back, and past unfastened our laptops to fig retired what’s next.”