Raya Rengana, a CPR instructor for first responders, shared her harrowing experience of being trapped in her home in the Altadena community of Los Angeles County during the devastating Eaton Fire. Rengana, who had lived in her house for 28 years, described the heart-wrenching moment when she realized she was surrounded by flames with no power.
She recounted, 'I woke up and it was just pitch black. We had no power, and I was just in hell. I was just surrounded by flames all around me, and all I could do is just hold my water hose, and just I dropped to my knees, and I just started praying, ‘Please, God, please, just save my house! Just save my house! This is, this is all I have.’'
Rengana went on to describe the devastation of watching her garage, a neighboring house, and backyard fence being consumed by the fire before being rescued by the fire department. She expressed her desperation as she pleaded with the firefighters to allow her to drive her car to save her cats.
She recalled, 'The fire department had to come get me, and I begged them to let me drive my car, because I had my cats in there. And I had to follow behind them, and there was just ambers and pieces of houses just falling on top of my car, just smoke everywhere. I wasn’t even sure we were going to be able to drive out.'
Rengana's story serves as a poignant reminder of the bravery and resilience exhibited by individuals in the face of natural disasters. Her courage and determination in the midst of chaos are a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
