Cynthia Perello and her husband moved to France because they found the cost of living cheaper after their Altadena home burned down. Perello first spoke with Eyewitness News in January of this year when she received a water bill for her now-empty lot. On Saturday, she and her husband raced to Paris to escape what officials are calling the worst fire France has seen in decades.
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"Absolutely it feels like deja vu. It's something that I never thought I'd have to revisit again, and now I do," Perello said.
The firefight is now about nine miles from their home in Bordeaux. Perello said she and her husband had been enjoying life there, saving money, and planning from afar when to rebuild their Altadena home that burned to the ground. But the wildfire now raging in southwest France has brought back familiar fear.
"I do fear the worst, because I don't know what to expect. I mean, this is uncharted territory. I believe this is even worse than, I hate to say it, but Altadena," she said.
Ash now covers the steps of their Bordeaux rental.
"We're not under evacuation notice, but neither were we in Altadena, California," she said.
The couple decided not to risk staying, especially with the fire burning homes near the coastal city of Cap Ferret. Images from France resemble those from Altadena just a year and a half ago.
"It's very difficult to sleep because I don't know what to expect. I don't know if it's PTSD, but I definitely know it's a huge amount of anxiety," Perello said.
French officials say the fire has already burned a patch of land four times the size of Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron has called it the country's worst fire-related crisis since World War II.