A California widow returned to her Pacific Palisades home site, devastated by the L.A. wildfires, in search of any salvageable items from the blaze that razed her building. In a TikTok video shared by Good Morning America, ABC News’ Matt Gutman interviews Gale, who had escaped her burning condo wearing only nursing scrubs and clutching her phone.
In the footage, Gale, masked and gloved, sifts through the debris of her decimated home, uncovering the charred remnants of a safe, holding out hope of recovering some of her precious belongings she had to abandon. “We wanted to beat the looters to it,” Gale remarks from atop a heap of rubble, as a man assists in extracting the safe from the ground with a shovel. Following the fires that ravaged multiple L.A. neighborhoods, law enforcement officers have arrested at least 20 individuals this week for alleged looting activities.
Gale reveals she had to leave behind vital documents and her passport while fleeing the inferno. With the aid of an axe, the man in the video assists Gale in prying open the melted safe door, revealing twisted metal containers. Among the treasures uncovered are Gale’s wedding rings, along with other valuables and jewelry, glistening as if newly acquired.
Shortly after the safe is unsealed, police officers, vigilant for looters in the vicinity, appear to investigate the scene. Gutman is overheard inquiring about the extent of looting concerns to one of the officers present. The officer acknowledges the gravity of the situation, particularly given the presence of numerous intact million-dollar residences in the area that are challenging to monitor effectively.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has implemented measures to combat looting and bolster security, including deploying National Guard troops to provide protection and establishing a curfew near the affected fire zones by Friday evening.
Source: People
