The Internet Is Saying Goodbye To This Popular Pink House That Burned To The Ground In The LA Fires
Seeing people lose their homes in the LA wildfires has felt like watching an apocalyptic movie unfold in real time.
One of the many people who lost everything is 28-year-old Caitlin Doran, known as @caitlinandtiptoe on TikTok. Almost 20 million people have watched the heartbreaking video of her dad, Tom Doran's, reaction to their home burning to the ground in the Pacific Palisades.
"There's my house," he said. You can hear the flames overtaking the home.
"There's my house," he repeats. "Gone. Nothing left. Oh my God."
Caitlin wrote in the video's caption, "RIP to the beautiful pink house - thank you thank you thank you for your memories."
In the comments, people from around the world said their goodbyes to her family's pink house, where Caitlin often shared viral content starring her 175-pound tortoise, Tiptoe:
"OMG NOT THE PINK HOUSE," one person said.
"This is so devastating," another person said. They also pointed out that Caitlin had just built Tiptoe a new habitat at the home.
"tip toe is lucky to have you," this person said.
"Watching this unfold in Scotland and my heart is breaking for you all, houses can be rebuilt but what was inside, precious memories and belongings, photos etc I can't even imagine," this person sympathized.
"Sending love from Thailand," this person said.
"this was not the update I wanted to see," said one commenter who had been following Caitlin's journey throughout the day on TikTok.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Caitlin said, "Our family has been here since the 1930s, and I am a fifth-generation Palisadian... It is anything but just a house. My grandparents raised their children [there] and were blessed enough to have their daughter (my mom) raise her family across the street... When I was 13, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and almost didn't make it. This house was her haven and place to heal."
"I am devastated, but I am at a loss for words for my parents and grandparents. My aunt and uncle's house was three blocks away, and they lost it, too."
Caitlin shared her family's journey on social media as they saw the fires approaching their neighborhood. "I took my camera out the second that things started going south. I had no idea what to do, and I needed a distraction to connect with our community," she said.
TikTok: @caitlinandtiptoe / Via tiktok.com
"It was awful... We tried our best [to save the house], but the time came to go, and we did," she said.
"Tiptoe, who has been a source of joy for so many, now needs a safe space to live, along with all of us who are navigating this heartbreaking loss together," Caitlin wrote on a GoFundMe page for her family.
"We are one strong family, but boy oh boy, watching my family's hard work go up in flames, horrible," she said.
We are thinking of Caitlin and everyone else who has been impacted by these fires.
