The impact of the California wildfires h as been felt nationwide, including by many people with Chicago ties.
ABC7 has talked with passengers arrived at O’Hare airport from Los Angeles as well as Chicago-area natives now living in the fire zone.
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Chicago area native Kurt Seidensticker, who created the wellness brand Vital Proteins, watched his home in the Pacific Palisades burn on a live security video while he was out of town.
“I think we’re all still feeling the shock. None of us can really get back to our homes to see what the damage is. I think that’ll be a few days,” he said. “In your mind, you’re going, it’s going to burn out. It’s going to burn out, but it kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger.”
At O’Hare, some passengers arriving from LA Thursday also fear what they might return home to.
They describe a harrowing drive just to get to LAX with flames off in the distance and thick smoke all around as their planes took off.