L.A. WILDFIRES LAYING WASTE TO LA LA LAND

Calif. couple escapes ‘raging wall of fire’

I woke up to a very loud boom and noticed the power was out, so I woke my husband up and I said, ‘We have to get out, something is going on.’

Our apartment overlooked the coast, we had a beautiful, million-dollar view of the coastline and the city of Ventura, and when we went out onto the balcony to see what was happening, everything was black. There were no lights.

Then, when I looked out the other window, I said, ‘Oh my God. We need to leave right now.’ When I looked out the back window, the whole sky was pink. I didn’t think the fire was imminent but I knew that we had to leave immediately. So we grabbed an envelope with all of our important papers in it and we left.

We hadn’t heard the news reports ahead of time, so we thought we’d just be looky-loos . ... We got in the car and we drove around town and that’s when it hit us.

It was unbelievable. It was hard to grasp. There was a raging wall of fire on our hillside.

We went to Thousand Oaks but couldn’t find a hotel room because they were all filled up. Then, when my husband called our apartment manager, he told us, ‘I’m sorry, but your apartment is in flames.’ So we drove back to Ventura and videotaped our apartment building in flames.

We couldn’t believe it, we were like, ‘Oh my God, is this really happening?’ There was absolutely nothing we could do.

We lost everything . ... The thing I regret the most are the photos of my family . ... That was the irreplaceable item for us.

But I’m so grateful. We went to the shelter and there weren’t any cots and now here we are, spending time with our new grandbaby.

All of those things that we lost, they’re replaceable. Even, really, the photos, because I still have them in my memory.

I’m just living in the present. I’m by my husband, we’re with our family, and we have all the necessary items and thank God we’re both OK.

GETTY IMAGES PHOTOS, BELOW RIGHT AND FAR RIGHT; AP PHOTOS BLAZE BATTLE: Firefighters, below, battle wildfires in Los Angeles’ Bel-Air neighborhood yesterday. Above, a car speeds past the flames in Ventura, Calif.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEASLER FAMILY TOTAL LOSS: A picture frame from video shows John and Linda Keasler’s home being consumed by a wildfire yesterday in Ventura, Calif.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEASLER FAMILY SAFE: John and Linda Keasler, seen above with their grandchild, escaped their doomed home.