This archive report was first published on 25 October 2019.
Published on October 25, 2019, thousands of residents in California were forced to evacuate their homes due to a rapidly spreading brush fire.
Frank Cruz, a resident of Santa Clarita, was among those who had to leave his home in the middle of the night. He and his wife, Cindy, who is seven months pregnant, were forced to wake up in their car in the parking lot of a Denny's restaurant.
Ms. Cruz attributed the high number of evacuations to an abundance of caution, following last year's deadly fire season in California. She noted that people 'aren't taking any chances' after the Paradise Fire in Northern California claimed over 80 lives and the Woolsey Fire tore through Malibu and its environs.
Residents, who in past years may have shrugged off evacuation orders, are now heeding the warnings. Mary Lindsey, 64, who was eating breakfast at a Red Cross center in a gymnasium at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, said 'I think people are listening more.' Her husband, Charles, added that the fire started in a canyon near their home and quickly burned through dry shrub land.
Charles Lindsey said, 'With the winds blowing, it moved fast.' He emphasized the importance of following evacuation orders, saying 'In the middle of the night, if you're told to go, you go.'
