Some Eaton Fire victims allowed back home, one couple speaks on viral evacuation video

As law enforcement begins allowing some Eaton Fire evacuees to return home, one couple is opening up about their evacuation experience, which has since gone viral on social media.

Ring footage captured Jeffrey and Cheryll Ku rushing out of their home in the Presidential neighborhood of Altadena on the night of Jan. 7, mere moments after the Eaton Fire erupted.

Cheryll said she had seen the orange glow of the fire when she exited the 210 Freeway on her way home, and that by the time she got to her doorstep, she knew it was serious.

“As soon as I got to our driveway, our neighbor was there and had already called 911 thankfully,” said Cheryll. “I ran into the house to get [Jeffrey].”

In an interview with KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff on Sunday, Cheryll recounted how Jeffrey had been sitting on their couch, waiting for her to get back from work. “We had no power, so he had no idea,” she said.

“We were just going to pack up our things and go – but that was when we realized this was more than just packing up our things because there was a power outage,” said Cheryll. “So it was now a bit of a panic mode, we had a limited time to get what we needed to get and get out.”

While packing up their car, the couple took intermittent videos of the Eaton Fire on the hillside above their home. The footage starts with shots of a flare-up at the base of a nearby power line that the couple said was taken at 6:19 p.m.

The videos, taken minutes apart, escalate rapidly, showing the massive spread of flames throughout their escape. “34 minutes of pure terror,” the caption read. Their Instagram post received over 18.5 million views as of Sunday night.

Jeffrey described that night to KTLA as “A nightmare that you never would hope that you’d have to live through.”

Although the Presidential neighborhood was largely spared from the damage, the area is still blocked off to residents.

In contrast, law enforcement began allowing people back into the area south of New York Drive and East of North Hill Avenue to Altadena Drive on Sunday afternoon. For more information on the guidelines to return to properties in this area, click here.

CAL FIRE first reported the Eaton Fire at 6:18 p.m. near Altadena and Midwick drives. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

As of Jan. 12, officials measured the wildfire at 14,117 acres with 27% containment and confirmed 16 fatalities.