“I thought I’d be stronger than this,” said Woods, 77, his voice trembling as he recounted the devastation caused by the wildfires. His hillside home, once a sanctuary, now felt like “Mount Everest,” a climb too steep for him to make in his later years.
The emotional weight of the situation became even more palpable when Woods shared a touching moment involving his wife, Sarah. While speaking with her 8-year-old niece, the young girl brought out her piggy bank, offering it “for us to rebuild our house.” This simple yet profound gesture underscored the human toll of the disaster.
Woods is not alone in his plight. Hollywood stars like Mark Hamill and Mandy Moore were also forced to evacuate as the flames consumed 15,832 acres. Hamill,known for his role in Star Wars,described the chaos of his last-minute escape,saying,“so last minute there [were] small fires on both sides of the road.” He later called it the “most horrific” wildfire since the kinneloa Fire of 1993.
Through social media, Woods documented the fire’s relentless advance. He shared videos of flames engulfing his deck and ravaging a neighbor’s home. Later, his phone buzzed with alerts from his home’s smoke detectors, signaling the certain. “I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one,” he said. “It tests your soul, losing everything at once.”
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