CALIFORNIA, USA — Janesville residents were issued evacuation orders after the Dixie Fire that's scorched more than 600,000 acres in Northern California was threatening their homes recently.
"All of this was up in flames," said 76-year-old Janesville resident, Gil Rojas.
He saw flames right in front of his own home.
"This property means a lot to me. I paid for it on my own. It's my life," he said. "There's a lot of memories here."
He said he didn't plan to evacuate, however his neighbors did.
"They gave us a evacuation order," said 81-year-old Donald Cameron.
Cameron was born in San Diego and has since lived in Janesville for 20 years.
"The first night I could see flames from where I was staying and I was worried my house would burn down. The ash is horrible. It hurts my eyes," said Cameron.
He said he evacuated to his son's house.
"I was determined to see if my home was still there," said Cameron.
Luckily, Cameron's home did not have any damages.
Cameron has been wood carving for 35 years. He said he was most worried about saving his sculptures which are his prized possessions. The fire can take away a lot, but this time it didn't take what matters most to Cameron.
"I sure didn't want to lose any of those. I knew it would be safe at my son's house. You can lose a house, but you can't lose your life's work," said Cameron.
Janesville is just miles away from Susanville, the largest city so far impacted by the Dixie Fire. Residents who had evacuated previously to tents and trailers at evacuation sites were told to evacuate once again this week.
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