The massive Thomas Fire in California continues to spread as it rages through Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, home to former 10TV News anchor, Andrea Cambern.
She talked to 10TV via telephone Sunday evening and said the fire that started two weeks ago and 40-miles away from her home reached her front door Saturday morning. Cambern said that’s when her family was given the evacuation order.
“Yesterday morning it got worse in a minute, and suddenly we found ourselves in a huge billowing cloud of smoke literally looming over our house. Oh my God! It was the scariest thing. It was like Armageddon. It was the scariest thing. I can't even ... I can't even describe what it was like but we got the notice get out now,” Cambern said.
Cambern said she and her husband had already gathered up a few personal items and important paperwork but said nothing prepared them for the moment they literally had to run for their lives.
“You're apprehensive, you're nervous, you're stressed, you're sad. I just never experienced anything like it,” Cambern said. “I got all choked up. I was crying but fortunately, we have wonderful friends who opened their door to us ... and our cats."
Firefighters have said they don't believe Thomas will be fully contained until after the New Year. That would mean the Camberns won't celebrate the holidays at home, but Andrea said in a crisis like this you learn very quickly the material things don't matter.
“Either way we're going to be thankful this Christmas and to know what's important and what's really not,” Cambern said.
More than 8,500 firefighters from across the country are battling the wildfire which has grown to 269,000 acres.
