"This is apocalyptic...it is terrifying."

Youngstown native Khaled Tabbara and his wife Katianne live on Laurel Canyon in LA.
They lost power from high winds earlier in the week and decided to evacuate to a hotel south of town, before being ordered to.

"The next morning we woke up and not only had our power not come back on, but there were two new fires," Katianne said Thursday via Zoom.

As of now, their apartment is safe and the power back on.
They're cautiously optimistic that the extreme conditions fanning the flames will continue to calm.

"We were really fortunate that we got to think it out and do it in the least traumatizing way possible," said Katianne. "We're going to lay low until we know things have died down a little bit and then we'll go back, which fortunately we can, cause it's not that easy for everybody," added Khaled. "It could be days, it could be tomorrow, we're hoping it's tomorrow."

"This is the worst thing I've ever seen in my life," said Boardman native Brian Kessler, who now lives in Pacfic Palisades, one of the hardest hit areas.
While blocks upon blocks of homes have been charred in his neighborhood, the fate of his own home remains a mystery.

"We think the structures are still there. The fires have absolutely calmed down so thank God the winds are no longer what they were," Kessler said via Zoom.

While he and his family are out of harm's way, the flames have created another cloud - one of uncertainty.

"I don't know what our next steps are, and the truth is...going into a toxic air environment is problematic for me and my family," Kessler said.

A problem facing tens of thousands of others in this fire-ravaged region of America.