Wrightwood business owner describes her evacuation during the Bridge Fire

PROTECTION. >> GOING TO KCAL ASSIGNMENT EDITOR MIKE ROGERS AT THE DESK, YOU ARE TALKING WITH A BUSINESS OWNER. >> ROBIN ARE YOU THERE? >> YES, I'M HERE. REPORTER: SO, ROBIN AND I WERE TALKING SHE MANAGES A COUPLE HOTELS AND PROPERTIES UP THERE INCLUDING THE WRIGHTWOOD HIDE AWAY, YOU ARE EVACUATED YOU ARE IN UPLAND, WHAT HAPPENED TODAY. >> IT GOT REALLY SMOKY PROBABLY AROUND 1:30. BBY 2:45 IT WAS DARK. BY 3:15 I WAS TEXTING MY HUSBAND, TELLING HIM TO GET HOME AND WE HAVE TO GET GOING WE HAVE YOU KNOW 5 ANIMALS AND WE LIVE ON THE RIDGE UPPER ORIOLE ON FIRE LINE IT GOT SCARY, NOTHING THAT WE HAVE DONE BEFORE, WE HAVE KNOW UNDER EVACUATION WARNINGS IN THE PAST. BUT THIS WAS EMERGENCY EVACUATION, AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET OUT. I SEE THAT INTERNET IS STILL UP, I CAN SEE THE CAMERAS ON PROPERTIES FIRE PERSONNEL IS KNOCKING ON ALL OF THE DOORS, WE'RE EVACUATED OUT OF THE THREE. REPORTER: HOW WERE YOU -- WE TALKED, YOU WERE SURPRISED BY LACK OF FIRE PERSONNEL IN WRIGHTWOOD TO BEGIN WITH, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A LOT OF DIFFERENT FIRES HAPPENING. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU NEEDED TO GET OUT, DID YOU DO IT ON YOUR OWN OR WAS THERE AN ORDER SENT TO YOU? >> I HAVE BEEN USING THE APP WATCH DUTY, THEY HAVE LIVE CAMERAS AT MOUNTAIN HIGH. WE DID SEE THAT THERE WAS FIRE SHOWING ON MOUNTAIN HIGH NORTH CAMERA, 1 OF THE CAMERAS. AND THEN, I WENT TO THE LOCAL FACEBOOK PAGE AND IT LOOKED LIKE ANOTHER RESIDENT DID CONFIRM, THEN MY NEIGHBOR, DROVE T TO -- INSPIRATION POINT AND CONFIRMED YOU CAN SEE THE FIRE HE TOLD US IT CONFIRMED WHAT WE WERE ALREADY FEELING. THEN, ABOUT 45 MINUTES LATER, THE EVACUATION WENT ON OUR PHONE, EMERGENCY EVACUATION. REPORTER: ASK YOU, YOU SAID YOU HAVE BEEN THERE ABOUT 8 YEARS, ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE? THERE HAVE BEEN EVACUATION WARNINGS. >> THE BLUE CUT FIRE HAPPENED, BUT I WAS NOT LIVING THERE AT THE TIME. WE HAVE BEEN UNDER EVACUATION WARNINGS BEFORE WITH THE BOBCAT FIRE. AND THE SHEEP FIRE. FROM A COUPLE YEARS AGO. BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS. REPORTER: AND I'M LOOKING AT SOME OF OUR TRAFFIC MAPS OF ROAD GETTING OUT OF WRIGHTWOOD, IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS GETTING JAMMED UP, WAS IT LIKE THAT FOR YOU. DID YOU HAVE TROUBLE GETTING OUT? >> BECAUSE I HAD THAT I INITIAL FEELING WE WERE PACKED UP WEL WITHIN AN HOUR AND ON THE ROAD BY 5:15 IT WAS SLOW BECAUSE FIRE PERSONNEL WAS COMING INTO TOWN. FROM THE HIGHWAY 138, AND HIGHWAY 2, BUT WE, ABLE TO GET DOWN TO THE INLAND EMPIRE AREA UPLAND AREA WITHIN 45 MINUTES. REPORTER: ROBIN, I AM JOINED BY OUR ANCHORS SUZIE SUH AND CHAUNCY GLOVER. I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING ROBIN TALKED ABOUT USING TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO LOOK AT THOSE THINGS. >> THANK GOODNESS. REPORTER: AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ROBIN. JUST A WILD TURN OF, VEFNTSES. EVENTS. >> ROBIN, JUST IF YOU CAN TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT T THE FIELDING -- THE FEELING IS AMONG NEIGHBORS ARE PEOPLE ALL PACKED UP AND LEAVING OR STAYING. >> EVERYONE IS LEAVING EVERYONE THAT I KNOW IT LEAVING. I HAD SOME NEIGHBOR TEXTING ME EARLIER, I PERSONALLY, YOU KNOW BEFORE THAT 1:00 HOUR, 2:00 HOUR, I DID NOT HAVE ANY OF THAT FEELING. AT 3:00, I JUST KNEW WE HAD TO LEAVE, THANK GOD FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT REACHED OUT TO ME THAT WERE A LITTLE BIT SCARED. THAT KIND OF GOT THE WHEELS SPINNING FOR US A LITTLE FASTER, ALL NEIGHBORS THAT I KNOW HAVE ALL EVACUATED. >> ROBIN ON YOUR WAY OUT, I KNOW YOU TALKED TO MIKE ABOUT THE SURPRISE OF LACK OF FIREFIGHTERS OUT THERE. WHAT DID YOU SEE ON THE WAY OUT. >> I DIDN'T SEE ANY FIREFIGHTING, I WAS SURPRISED THERE WAS NO HOLDING AT MOUNTAIN HIGH LIKE THERE NORMALLY WOULD BE LIKE AT BOBCAT FIRE, I WAS IS PRICES ARE -- SURPRISED THAT FIRE EXPLODED SO FAST I GUESS, AND IT WAS NOT UPDATED ON WATCH DUTY, THAT PERIMETER. SO IT IS JUST, SURPRISING AND I KNOW THAT EVERYONE IS SPREAD THIN, I LOVE THE FIREFIGHTERS, I CAN'T BLAME ANYONE FOR ANY OF THIS. I WAS SURPRISED THAT THERE WAS NOT ANY PERSONNEL UP THERE. PICTURES OF THE FIRE RIGHT NOW, AND JUST A MOMENT AGO WE WERE SEEING PICTURES FROM MOUNTAIN HIGH. AND THE FLAMES, SO CLOSE TO THAT RESORT. AND AFFECTING THAT WHOLE AREA. AS A BUSINESS OWNER, AS A RESIDENCE THIS HAS TO BE HEARTBREAKING TO SEE. >> YES, IT IS, I AM IN THE HOSPITALITY, VACATION RENTAL INDUSTRY IT HEARTBREAK, THE THE REASON I STARTED THE, WAS TO SHARE THIS TOWN WITH OTHER PEOPLE. YEAH, IT'S VERY HEARTBREAKING. >> WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT. ROBIN HAVE YOU CHECKED IN WITH ANY OF YOUR NEIGHBORS OR WORKERS THAT WORK FOR YOUR BUSINESS? WHAT ARE THEY SAYING HOW ARE THEY FEELING TONIGHT? >> WE ALL DEVASTATED AND BUSY TAC PACKING OURSELVES UP, YOU CAUGHT ME AT THE RIGHT TIME WE GENE FINELY GOT TO SIT DOWN AND EAT, THERE ARE SOME FRIENDS STILL ON UT OUTSKIRTS OF WRIGHTWOOD. WHERE THE SHEET FIRE WAS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THEY ARE EVACUATING THERE ARE A LOT OF ANIMALS THERE, IT IS A HARD TIME FOR EVERYONE. IF THEY HAVE NOT REACHED OUT THAT IS PROBABLY WHY THEY ARE STILL GETTING THEIR STUFF OUT. >> YOU KNOW THAT THAT OTHER FIRES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THREE INCLUDING FIRE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN EVACUATED DUE TO THAT FIRE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AS YOU LIVE IN A MOUNTAINOUS COMMUNITY, WHAT IS TALK AMONG YOUR NEIGHBORS DO YOU TALK ABOUT WILDFIRES A LOOT, -- LOT, IS THIS EXPECTED THAT YOU PREPARE FOR. >> THERE IS A BELIEVE A GROUP WHERE THEY GET TOGETHER, COUPLE TIMES A YEAR, AND STALK ABOUT FIRE SAFETY -- TALK ABOUT FIRE SAFETY ALL OF THE TIME, I TALK ABOUT FIRE SAFETY WITH MY PEOPLE, WE LEAD A GIRL ISCOUT TROOP. THEY ARE AWARE, IT IS ALWAYS SPOKEN ABOUT ANY TIME THERE IS A FIRE ANYWHERE IN CALIFORNIA. BE READY. PACK YOUR STUFF, BE READY GET OUT. IT COULD HAPPEN SO FAST, THIS IS A CLEAR EXAMPLE OF THAT. >> DID YOU FEEL READY FOR THIS. >> A WARNING. >> YEAH. >> DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WERE PREPARED FOR THIS TODAY? >> I DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE IS EVER PREPARED BUT WHEN THE MOMENT COMES YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET YOUR FAMILY OUT AND ANIMALS OUT AND GET OUT SAFELY. >> ROBIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH, WE'LL RESET RIGHT HERE, YOU ARE WATCHING KCAL NEWS AT 8:00. AS WE COVER THE THREE MASSIVE FIRES HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, HERE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE BRIDGE