Today’s guest, Ellie Rose Pasternak,  shares her harrowing account of escaping the Pacific Palisades fire on January 7, 2025. Ellie grew up in the Palisades and previous fires in the area had never reached her family’s house. When the fire began that morning, she and her Mom, Glory, who was also home at the time, were not overly concerned because the fire still seemed quite a distance away. At this time, there were no firefighters or engines in the neighborhood, so it seemed as if they were safe. Ellie then describes how she suddenly saw another fire on the other side of her house. She and her mom were keeping in touch with neighbors, and no one could understand what was happening. Ellie went outside, and as she was walking toward what she thought was an orange pylon in the road, she realized it was another fire. She ran as fast as she could to her house and alerted her Mom that they needed to leave immediately. It was now an emergency situation. By this time, their house had lost electricity, and they quickly gathered their animals including 4 dogs, 1 cat, 2 geckos, and 2 turtles. They rapidly gathered medications and a few articles of clothing and threw it all in the back of her car. Ellie describes how overwhelming it was and how things quickly changed in a matter of minutes. At this point, they thought they would be home the next day. In the past, the fire had never reached their home. Afterward, family friends were able to get into the neighborhood only to find that the Pasternaks’ entire house was lost. Ellie’s father, Dr. Henry Pasternak, is a very well-respected veterinarian who has practiced integrative medicine, using both holistic and Western therapies, for several decades in West Los Angeles. During the time of this taping, the family was sleeping at the veterinary office. The clinic was still open and operating during regular hours and housing many animals in need. Although they are in shock, Ellie explained that they are trying to find some sense of normalcy and are so grateful that they were able to escape with their animals with them. This is just one of thousands of stories of people and animals affected by the devastating fires in Los Angeles in January. If you are interested in making a donation either to the Pasternak family, or to the animals they are helping, pls call the Pasternak Veterinary Center at 310-268-2275. They are also accepting donations via Venmo @EllieRoseUke. To drop off donations in person, visit the clinic at 2038 South Sepulveda Blvd; West Los Angeles, CA 90025 or email [email protected]. For further information about Dr. Henry Pasternak and the veterinary clinic, visit www.pasternakvetcenter.com.