How to Help Those Affected by SoCal Brush Fires

Tracy Bloom

Digital News Producer

Tracy Bloom is a digital news producer for KTLA in Los Angeles.

Recent Articles
  • Sgt. Ron Helus was set to be remembered at a memorial service in Westlake Village on Nov. 15, 2018. (Credit: Pool)

    Sgt. Ron Helus, Who Was Killed Trying to Stop Borderline Bar Shooting, Remembered as ‘Hero’ at Funeral Service

    A Ventura County sheriff’s sergeant who was killed trying to stop the mass shooting in Thousand Oaks was remembered during a funeral service Thursday as a loving father and husband, a committed law enforcement officer, a selfless human being and a hero. Hundreds of people, including law enforcement officers from across the state, mourned Ron Helus and celebrated his life at Calvary Chapel Community Church in Westlake Village. The memorial service began around noon and lasted for about 90 minutes. […]

  • Scott Hicks surveys what's left of his home in Malibou Lake on Nov. 15, 2018. (Credit: KTLA)

    Longtime Malibou Lake Resident Returns to Find Home Burned Down in Woolsey Fire — and Offers to Help Others Rebuild

    Scott Hicks walked among heaps of rubble, debris and twisted metal, all that remained of his home in Malibou Lake after the Woolsey Fire tore through the area last week. The massive wildfire caused mass destruction to the small community nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains near Agoura Hills, and evacuated residents were finally allowed back to see the devastation for themselves Thursday morning — exactly one week after the flames erupted. Hicks was among those who came home only […]

  • Jemel Roberson is seen in a photo posted to a GoFundMe page.

    ‘Hero’ Security Guard Killed by Police Near Chicago Was Working Extra Shifts to Pay for Infant Son’s Christmas Gift

    Jemel Roberson couldn’t wait for his son’s first Christmas. With a 9-month-old boy and another baby on the way, the 26-year-old security guard was working extra shifts to buy gifts for his son and his child’s mother, family attorney Lee Merritt said. During one of his shifts last weekend, a gunman started shooting up Manny’s Blue Room, a bar in suburban Chicago. Witnesses said Roberson bravely stopped the shooter and pinned him to the ground. But shortly later, a Midlothian […]

  • 79-Year-Old Malibu Man’s Heroic Actions Saved Neighbors’ Home From Woolsey Fire, Woman Says

    Although Malibu residents were evacuated due to the Woolsey Fire, 79-year-old Jerry Perronne — who’s lived there since the 1990s — chose to stay to protect his home. His diligence also paid off for his neighbors, whose home he saved from destruction after embers ignited their backyard. Reuniting with her neighbor Tuesday night, a grateful Jennifer Schwab Wangers embraced and thanked Perronne, telling him her home would not be standing if it weren’t for his actions. “Right now, I’d be with […]

  • Family Evacuated From Woolsey Fire Says Thieves Broke Into Parked SUV, Stole Treasured Belongings

    A family forced to evacuate from the Woolsey Fire escaped with their treasured mementos in tow, but lost them all a short time later after their car was broken into in an Encino parking lot while they ate lunch. Even before a fire threatened to destroy their Thousand Oaks home, the Warren family had been through a lot in the past few years, with both parents surviving cancer. After being ordered to evacuate early Saturday morning as the flames approached, […]

  • The Woolsey Fire rages into its sixth night on Nov. 13, 2018, in the unincorporated Lake Sherwood area of Ventura County. (Credit: KTLA)

    Woolsey Fire Flare-Up Burns 1,000 Acres Near Lake Sherwood; Some Evacuation Orders Lifted in L.A. County

    The Woolsey Fire flared up Tuesday morning near Hidden Valley and Lake Sherwood in the Santa Monica Mountains, prompting new evacuation orders in Ventura County just as many others were being lifted in Los Angeles County. The blaze has been burning for six days along the Ventura-L.A. county line and has scorched more than 151 square miles, destroying at least 435 structures and claiming two lives in Malibu. It was about 40 percent contained as of late Tuesday after consuming […]

  • Santa Ana McDonald’s Manager Beaten, Choked by Woman Upset Over Missing Ketchup: Police

    A woman was captured on video beating a McDonald’s store manager in Santa Ana recently, and police released the footage Tuesday as they intensified their efforts to catch the assault suspect. The incident began around 11 p.m. on Oct. 27, after the woman went through the drive-thru of the McDonald’s restaurant in the 1500 block of North Bristol Street, according to the Santa Ana Police Department. After getting her food, she apparently became enraged when she discovered there was not […]

  • Malibu Man Defies Woolsey Fire Evacuation Order to Help Protect Homes From Looters, Assist Residents

    A mandatory evacuation remains in effect for all Malibu residents Tuesday as flare-ups from the Woolsey Fire continue to present challenges for firefighters, but some have stayed behind to help thwart what they suspect could potentially be another problem for the community: looters. Malibu has been particularly hit hard by the massive inferno, with an unknown number of homes destroyed since the wildfire began ravaging the area after jumping the 101 Freeway last Friday. Among the handful of residents who […]

  • Firefighters battle a blaze at the Salvation Army Camp on November 10, 2018 in Malibu, California. (Credit: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

    Woolsey Fire: West Hills Residents Can Return Home; Full List of Evacuations, Road and School Closures

    While some remained evacuated from their homes and several roads schools were still closed in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, officials said all West Hills residents can return to their homes Monday evening. The destructive fire has charred some 93,000 acres, or roughly 146 square miles, according to the latest numbers from Cal Fire. Containment on Monday evening was at 30 percent. Some residents were being allowed to return to their homes, including Agoura Hills, Oak Park, Thousand Oaks and […]