'It's been a very heartbreaking, intense few days'

Several wildfires have been burning in Los Angeles for a week, with many people losing their homes

"Get up, pack the bags, we're getting out of here. The goalie's house has burned down."

This was what Sian McArdle's husband told her on Tuesday 7 January after receiving a video of the Los Angeles wildfires from a soccer teammate living nearby.

It was the moment Mrs McArdle, 51, who moved from North Yorkshire to Los Angeles County 15 years ago, first realised the danger she and her family faced.

"His face was white as a sheet," she said.

The video message came through on the day the first and biggest of the Los Angeles wildfires had erupted, scorching more than 23,654 acres (9,572 hectares).

In total, at least 24 people have been killed by the wildfires over the past week, which are already among the most destructive in LA's history in terms of the number of buildings destroyed.

Mrs McArdle, who is originally from York and who now lives in La Crescenta, said she was "extremely lucky to have a home to go back to", especially as 16 people she knew had already lost theirs.

Sian McArdle and her family received this text message telling them to leave their home last week

Speaking to BBC Radio York, Mrs McArdle explained that neither she nor her husband had realised the extent of the wildfires until they received the video message from a soccer team-mate.

They were left shocked by what they saw.

"Damian showed me on the cellphone and I just couldn't believe it," she said.

"The guy was in his house and he was filming it as he pulled out saying, 'we're getting out'."

The previous day, while driving to work, Mrs McArdle had feared that a wildfire was coming after she experienced a change in the weather.

"The Santa Ana winds - these extremely dry winds that come in from the north east - have been absolutely unprecedented this year.

"I have a fairly small car and I was driving down the freeway and I felt like it was moving. It was like something out of The Wizard of Oz and I thought, 'this is not a normal wind'."

Before going to bed that Tuesday night, Mrs McArdle, her husband and their children, aged 12 and 15, packed up essentials into their two vehicles.

"We were rushing around trying to find documents, because that's really all that matters - birth certificates, passports.

"The kids came in our room with us because we were all very jittery. Then, at about five in the morning, we got an emergency alarm on our phones.

"I don't even think we read it properly, we just jumped up," she said.

"We had no power, it was pitch black, and then this alarm came through. These are extremely loud. Every cellphone is going off. It was terrifying.

"We went out onto the street and we could see the smoke in the sky. Lots of neighbours were out there."

Mrs McArdle caught this image of the fires from the freeway as she and her family abandoned their home

The family, together with their pet dog, left their home behind and headed to a hotel in the Hollywood area, as that was the only place they could find somewhere to stay.

Mrs McArdle said the journey there was "extremely shocking".

"Black skies, the sun was red. It really just felt like these paintings you see in the National Gallery - like the end of times."

While the fire was one hazard, the wind was another, Mrs McArdle explained.

"A tree had gone through our neighbours' roof. We've spoken to people who've had to crawl out of their homes because trees have come through the roofs."

Mrs McArdle, husband Damian and their two children, pictured when they moved into their home in La Crescenta in 2015

After remaining at the hotel in Hollywood for several days as the fires continued to rage, Mrs McArdle said they had since returned home.

However, she said all the family still remained on edge.

"The trouble is, the wind is carrying embers. These embers can start another fire.

"We've not had rain since May, so everything is dry and Los Angeles is like one big tinderbox.

"It's like being in the eye of a storm. Our bags and cars remain packed with our stuff because I am well aware another fire can easily start and we could be in the same position as these other people who have lost their homes."

Mrs McArdle added that she recognised she and her family had been "extremely lucky".

"It's been a very heartbreaking, intense few days."

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