Gina Yashere, the co-creator of the hit CBS sitcom, “Bob (Hearts) Abishola” shared via her Instagram account that she and her neighbors have had to evacuate their homes in Altadena, as wildfires rage through the Los Angeles-area.
The wildfires have spread throughout several areas of Los Angeles County, forcing thousands to flee as buildings and homes have been engulfed in flames that continue to spread because of the wind, “stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits,” according to Los Angeles City fire chief, Kristin Crowley.
“Our street is on fire. Looks like we’re about to lose our beautiful house. I’m glad we’re safe and our neighbours who are also our friends got out in time. Gonna go to bed and leave this to the universe #altadena” wrote Yashere.
Yashere purchased her home with her partner, Nina Rose Fischer, in Altadena in June of 2019, according to a Facebook post at the time. The British comedian and actress, known for her stand up comedy specials on Netflix, went on to express her devastation over the fires in a way only a comedian would, writing:
“If you see me wearing the same 5 t-shirts for the next 6 months ….DON’T SAY SH*T…”
Fans and friends of the star responded with compassion and offers to help. “Gina! Noooo,” wrote TV host Sherri Shepherd. “You built your home with so much love. Praying for everyone’s safety and for you and your wife.”
Official have reported that two people have died in the wildfires and many have significant injuries. According to the Los Angeles Times, 1000 homes have been destroyed. Fire displacement is an incredible burden, and according to the International Displacement Monitoring Centre, 7.7 million people worldwide lived in internal displacement because of disasters at the end of 2023. The number is likely to increase as climate change impacts communities worldwide.
TheGrio is praying for the safety and protection of all those in the Los Angeles-area, and for those emergency responders battling the infernos in untenable conditions.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).