OF recounts escaping from the Los Angeles fires

Laurence Pretty (S49-54) has for many years worked and then retired in California, USA.  He is now 89 and he has sent in this first hand account of the dreadful fires around Los Angeles earlier in 2025 and we thought we would share them.  At the time of the fires he was living in a retirement apartment building, called Monte Cedro, just north of Pasadena.

“I have had an eventful last two months. On January 8, I was awakened by an LA Fireman in full gear pounding on my door who told me I had 15 minutes to evacuate. I threw on street clothes, put my two cats in their carrying boxes, and was directed to a line of school buses passing in file past the main entrance of our building which is a cement and steel large building that is fireproof. The scene I saw was as horrific as a war. We passed down two blocks of wooden homes on either side of our road which were all fully aflame as our bus passed through. I have never seen anything so horrific. Seventeen residents of Altadena were burned to death, many of them in the residential streets around out four sided block.

We were driven to downtown procedure to a large enclosed arena where we remained until evening while the police and fire workers sorted us by origin, gave us water and cookies, and sorted us into groups for transportation. It was all efficiently done although my cats were not thrilled by the long cage time. By about 7.00 pm our group of residents from Monte Cedro were sorted into a group that was driven by bus to another elder care community 60 miles south also owned and operated by our parent company. About midnight we were in very pleasant apartments for senior living and close to the Pacific Ocean.

I stayed there until the end of the second week in March when we were returned to Monte Cedro. During that two months, damage caused to Monte Cedro, which had ben caused by the extensive smoke, heat and fierce winds, was repaired. So that was my big adventure. Along the way, I had my 89th birthday.

So that, I suppose, was Laurence’s big adventure. I am not hoping for another one.”

His brother Brian (S52-56) has in the last few years moved to Sydney, Australia.