Heartbreaking Interviews & Aerial Shots, Bulldozer Clears Abandoned Cars & More: Watch How Local TV Is Covering L.A. Wildfires – Update

UPDATED with more clips: Local TV news is covering the Los Angeles wildfires live as the nightmare unfolds, producing some surreal scenes and heart-wrenching moments — with many people using words like “war zone” and “apocalyptic.”

One man interviewed live Wednesday on KTLA-TV was brought to tears when reporter Annie Rose saw him walking on a devastated street in Altadena and asked how he was doing. His house was on fire. “I thought we were in the area that we would be all right,” he said. “Then they evacuated us this morning, and I tried to stay and save it, but I couldn’t.” He then showed a framed photo of a man in uniform he was carrying and got emotional. “My mom wanted her dad’s picture off the wall, so I got it.” Watch the clip above.

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ABC7 captured horrific aerial video of the Eaton fire in Altadena on Wednesday morning:

Elsewhere as multiple fires raged around Los Angeles County, KCAL reporter Jasmine Veil came upon a homeowner whose ducks and chickens were threatened as flames closed in on her home:

Soon after that, Veil and camera operator John Schreiber tried to help rescue the woman’s pets chickens from the burning home:

In a little victory amid an awful day, the animals were saved:

An ABC7 crew got compelling video of Altadena residents teaming to fill trash cans with water from a swimming pool and run them to a neighbor’s in an effort to save it from the flames:

Another KTLA reporter, veteran Chip Yost, was live on the air when he came upon houses aflame in Pasadena:

FoxLA captured this aired this harrowing footage of horses being rescued amid the Eaton Fire northeast of Los Angeles:

Even longtime Los Angeles residents are seeing things they never have witnessed. Among those is Tuesday’s wild video of a giant bulldozer powering through dozens of cars — including Mercedes, BMWs, Teslas and other high-end makes — that were abandoned along Palisades Drive as gridlock hit during mandatory evacuations and panicked residents fled. Watch it here:

During a live phone interview with KTLA-TV on Tuesday afternoon, retired Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Bob Goldman stressed the need for area residents to be prepared to evacuate on short notice. “I don’t recall a wind event like this in 15 to 20 years, so this is really unique,” he said. “I, like most people, was rather shocked to see what was going on with the dozer pushing the cars out of the way — having to go to that extreme measure. … You know, people have got to have a plan. There’s really nothing glamorous or sexy about preparedness.”

Earlier, KTLA reporter Gene Kang was doing man-on-the-street interviews and encountered a local resident who was bemoaning the vehicles blocking the road. It turned out to be Steve Guttenberg, whom the reporter did not recognize immediately.

“What’s happening is people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot,” he said. “This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars. If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there.”

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Not too long after that, the dozer was called in to clear the street so firefighters and equipment could reach fire-threatened homes. As the vehicle moved cars to either side of the road, viewers could see at least one structure going up in flames in the background.

The story continues to unfold live on L.A.’s network affiliates KCBS, KNBC and KABC, along with local outlets PBS SoCal, KTLA, KCAL, KTTV and others. Gov. Gavin Newsom is in town to survey the situation as super-strong winds are expected later and overnight in the area.

RELATED: “Life-Threatening” Winds Pound L.A. Area, Drive Pacific Palisades Wildfire; Mandatory Evacuations Underway

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