Flame hell in L.A.

Austrians in LA: “Fire of a new dimension”

(Bild: APA Pool/APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/MARIO TAMA)

It is the worst fire disaster in the history of the mega-metropolis of Los Angeles. Now the authorities have also called for the evacuation of the center of Hollywood - because there is an immediate danger to life!

In the meantime, the famous Hollywood Hills have also been affected by the fires. Thousands of people are trying to escape. In the midst of the fire madness is an expatriate from Graz: Christian Goller, founder of the company "High Level" and as such a successful fitness trainer, mental coach and consciousness consultant, lives in Hollywood and is a direct witness.

The "Krone" reached him: "It's a totally exceptional situation, the fires have never been as bad as they are now! When I look at the Hollywood Hills from my terrace, you can see that the whole mountain is on fire. In the celebrity neighborhoods, 75 percent of the 100-million-dollar buildings have already burned down. I was working there myself not long ago - and now this."

It's a totally exceptional situation, the fires have never been as bad as they are now! When I look at the Hollywood Hills from my terrace, you can see that the whole mountain is on fire.

Christian Goller

Like in a disaster movie
Goller, who is also an actor and trains with superstars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and singer Ricky Martin, once waited years to get a visa for permanent residence and is devastated by the state of his dream city: "It breaks my heart to see all this destruction." He experienced a particularly dramatic situation on Sunset Boulevard: "All the drivers fled the fire and were stuck in a traffic jam. Then suddenly the fire came straight to this spot and people abandoned their cars to run away. A bulldozer had to move in to push the cars away so that the fire department could get through. It's bizarre, like something out of a disaster movie!" Thankfully, Goller himself and his wife are safe.

Christian Goller with Arnold Schwarzenegger

(Bild: Christian Goller)

Melanie Herrmann from Styria lives in West Los Angeles on the border of Santa Monica and Brentwood. In the morning, everything still seemed normal as she worked in her home office, until the first text messages from her friends arrived at 1 p.m. to say that a major fire had broken out in Palisades. "The events came thick and fast, as thick clouds of smoke were already hanging over West Los Angeles at 3 p.m. and the glow of the fire after sunset lit up the night sky in orange-red behind Wilshire Boulevard," reported Herrmann.

Melanie Herrmann from Styria sent the "Krone" a picture of the view from her balcony in Los Angeles as the fire approached.

(Bild: privat)

Worried about the risk of evacuation at night
She quickly realized that it would be a very critical night. Because of the power cuts, they had to eat dinner by candlelight. "As the evacuation zone was only a mile away from our house on Tuesday evening, with persistently bad air, we knew that there was a risk that we would have to evacuate our homes overnight," says the Styrian, who has lived in California since 2013 and works as a consultant in the biotechnology sector.

Melanie Herrmann, who was born in Graz, has lived in Los Angeles since 2013.

(Bild: Privat)

"I just need a little climate protection from everyone"
There was a sense of collective solidarity and sadness about the incredible destruction. "I just thought to myself: no rain for nine months and a Santa Ana desert storm - no wonder," says Herrmann. Now they could only pray that the hurricane-like storm would soon come to an end. Many friends had written to Herrmann saying they were there if she needed anything. "I just need a little climate protection from everyone," she says desperately.

The massive fire engulfs one house after another - 130,000 people have already had to leave their homes. "New fires everywhere", Austrian director Robert Dornhelm from Los Angeles describes the desperate situation on Ö1's "Journal um acht". The flames had also spread to Hollywood and Santa Monica.

Escape at the last minute
Dornhelm reported that he almost waited too long to escape from the flames. "As we drove away, it was already burning left and right," the filmmaker reported of a "doomsday atmosphere". Hurricane-force winds made the situation so dramatic. The combination with the fire was devastating. The fire department told him that everything in his residential area had burned down - but he hopes that his house may have been spared after all. 

Consul General: "This event has a different dimension"
Michael Postl, Consul General in Los Angeles, had to cut short a business trip to Las Vegas. "We have experienced forest fires here before, but this event has a different dimension," Postl told the "Krone" newspaper. The drought coupled with hot winds from the desert are turning the entire region into a single inferno. 

Michael Postl, Consul General in Los Angeles, broke off a business trip to assist affected Austrians with his team.

(Bild: BMEIA Gruber)

As things stand, there are currently no Austrians among the many injured, but two have already lost their homes in the blaze. Others have to watch from video cameras in their homes - or at least from a safe distance - as the flames devour their belongings piece by piece ...

50 Austrians in the danger zone
According to the Foreign Ministry, the Consulate General in Los Angeles is in contact with almost 50 Austrians in the danger zone. They are available to those affected if necessary, but also to relatives who are worried about family members. Around 200 people have submitted a travel registration, which is valid for the entire USA, to the Foreign Office.

US media are already reporting one of the worst fire disasters in the history of the city of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has canceled his planned trip to Italy, including an audience with Pope Francis. Around 7500 firefighters are battling fires. "We are using all available resources to fight these fires," announced the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. Newsom fears an increase in the number of victims. In an interview with CNN, he spoke of "utter destruction".

"Chaotic scenes" during evacuations
Numerous residents tried to leave the area, which led to massive traffic jams, according to US media. One local resident told CNN about "chaotic scenes". The fire is burning north of Hollywood Boulevard, an area that is home to several tourist destinations, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre.

At least the flames are slowly being contained, it was reported late on Friday evening. According to initial estimates, the damage is likely to be well over the 50 billion euro mark.