“I mean I have 60 years of memories in that house and three children… now [the loss is] hitting me,” the elderly man shared
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A 91-year-old man, whose longtime home burned down in the oingoing fire in los angeles, is grieving the loss — but looking forward.
Dale Short got emotional as he reacted to the news that his home in Pasadena, Calif., burned down on cbs news. and opened up about the impact on himself and his family.
“Five minutes ago I was sitting in the car by myself and — just tears just came over my face,” Short said. “My entire history is in the house.”
“I’m going to break down again,” he added, as he began to tear up. “That’s what it . . . that’s what I feel. It’s my whole life.”
Short and his girlfriend were one of the thousands of people ordered to evacuate their homes in the Pacific Palisades area after the devastating fires first broke out on Tuesday, Jan. 7, according to BBC news. That same day was when his house was destroyed, CBS News reported. He eventually returned to the scene on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
“I’ve got 60 years of memories in that house,” he told CBS News.
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When asked how he felt to see his home in the state it was, Short replied, “Well I have to be honest with you. It hasn’t hit me all yet. I mean I have 60 years of memories in that house and three children . . . now it’s hitting me.”
However, he told CBS in a separate interview that he knew that he would be “okay” even if his home wasn’t. “I’ll be okay. I’m tough,” said Short. “Even though I’m 91 years old, I’ll start over again.”
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At least five people have died in the wildfires so far and more than 100,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, according to an update shared by CNBC on Jan. 9. Multiple fires have broken out and so far spread across 17,000 acres around the Los Angeles area, per CNN.
As for how many homes have been lost so far to the fires, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a Wednesday news conference that around 1,000 structures were lost in the Palisades. He added that there was a “high number of people who didn’t evacuate” who sustained serious injuries, reported local CW affiliate KTLA.
Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom said on X that there were “more than 7,500 firefighting personnel” that “are on the ground” responding to “California’s ongoing historic wildfires.” He asked that California residents “remain vigilant” and “be ready to evacuate if you’re near impacted areas.”