- Deadly wildfires in California continue to displace residents and wipe out livelihoods for some.
- He became aware of the reality of wildfires when he saw embers from the California fires in his area.
- Rourke is currently navigating the challenges presented by the wildfires while continuing to work.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Sean Rourke, a Central High School graduate, lives an action-packed life in Los Angeles, working on visual effects in fight scenes for films such as The Hunger Games, Twister, and Avengers Infinity War.
“We do, you know, Godzilla crushing buildings and monsters firing lasers at, you know, UFOs,” according to Rourke.
But Rourke’s action-packed life took a serious turn this week, when he turned on the news and saw that embers from the California wildfires had caused fires to break out in the Hollywood Hills, just up the street from his home.
“And seeing my street name, running up to the base of that hill where the fire was creeping down and we were just assuming like, oh God, if it is anything like The, you know, either of the other two fires, it is going to eat all the way down into our neighbourhood,” says Rourke.
Rourke has lived in California for over 25 years and claims he has never been this close to a wildfire before.
“Every once in a while, there will be like, you know, just some accident will occur and a fire will break out up in the hills someplace and immediately there is a helicopter flying over dumping water on it,” according to Rourke.
The fire department extinguished the flames, and the evacuation order for the area was lifted Thursday morning.
Rourke says experiences like these give him a greater appreciation for life and his loved ones.
Going through the last 48 hours here in Los Angeles has reminded me of how amazing everyone back home in Omaha is because I was just flooded with texts and phone calls from family and friends, as well as people I had not spoken to in years, asking if I was okay,” Rourke said.
Despite the fact that the evacuation order has been lifted, Rourke says he and his wife are keeping their car packed and ready in case they need to leave at any time.