Carol-Ann Higa is seated in the evacuation center at Padre Serra Parish Church in Camarillo.
"You're kind of at a shock to see that the fire is that close," she told KCLU.
Higa's been here overnight, alongside other local residents who had to leave their homes as the Mountain Fire swept into Camarillo Heights on Wednesday. She says that she didn't get much sleep but is grateful to those here helping her and others like her.
She’s one of the lucky ones, her home is safe, but she tells me she has severe asthma and explains that she sometimes needs to use an oxygen machine but has no power at her home.
"I use it as needed, but I had to use it yesterday. As soon as I went out of the house, I couldn't breathe. I was like barely able to talk. And I'm like, 'Okay, what am I going to do?'," she said.
"I've never been in a fire like that before," she said.
For now, she will stay here where there’s power and food and an army of red Cross volunteers.
