An apocalyptic wall of smoke, flames, and howling winds sent a Southern California homeowner fleeing for her life as the raging Sandy Fire tore toward her Simi Valley neighborhood.
Terrifying Ring surveillance footage captured the chaotic moments Monday as the blaze ripped through Trickling Brook Court, turning the sky a glowing orange while resident Jennifer Borow desperately packed up her car and prepared to flee.
“We left here like it looked like in the middle of a tornado,” Borow told NBC.
“The smoke through the N-95 mask was just burnt. I thought, ‘I’m going to die from inhalation.’ You just, you can’t even function.”
The video shows thick smoke swallowing the neighborhood as powerful winds whipped flames dangerously close to homes while residents raced to escape.
Borow said conditions became so dangerous that neighbors could barely see as they attempted to drive away from the advancing inferno.
“We couldn’t even see to get out of our driveway,” she said. “We had two cars crash into each other, another one crash again.”
The Simi Valley resident said her worst fear became reality as the fire began moving through a nearby ravine directly toward her property.
“Our worst nightmare is it’s going to start there, this is a big ravine, and blow towards our house,” Borow explained. “And that’s exactly what was happening.”
Despite the frantic scene, firefighters ultimately saved Borow’s home and most of her property.
A small cabin perched atop a hill on the property was destroyed in the blaze, though Borow said the loss paled in comparison to surviving the fire.
“You don’t even understand how quickly it will take your life. That was very humbling for me,” she said.
“Things didn’t matter. I didn’t care about anything but just what was breathing with a heartbeat to get it out of my home.”
The Sandy Fire erupted Monday morning and ballooned to more than 1,600 acres by Tuesday night, triggering evacuation orders and warnings across parts of Simi Valley.
At least one home was destroyed as firefighters continued battling the blaze and working to gain more containment.
