يحاولGOLD- Free

HIT WAS JUST TOTAL PANIC'
YOU South Africa|30 January 2025
Former Egoli actress Christel Smith Durkin managed to flee the flames that have flattened vast swathes of Los Angeles but she and her family are among thousands who've been left homeless
- ROSS MICHAELS and MEGHAN LAWRENCE
HIT WAS JUST TOTAL PANIC'

WHEN she smelled smoke at 10.45 that Tuesday morning her first thought was, “Is someone having a braai?” Then she looked out of her window and saw the flames racing down the hillside – and for Christel Smith Durkin, it was a case of déjà vu.

The former Egoli actress and her American husband, financier Eddie Durkin, had lived in their stunning property in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades for years with their 13-year-old son, Edward, and have had to evacuate at least four times in the past when wildfires broke out.

But this time it was different. The wind was raging and the flames were moving at breakneck pace.

“The speed was just incredible,” Christel, who played Tarien in Egoli, tells YOU. “When I looked out the window again the fire was already halfway down the mountain. I went to get the suitcases out of the garage and grabbed whatever I could.”

Eddie was at work and Edward at school, with Christel (54) at home alone with her German shepherd, Duke, and cat, Tiggy. By 1pm the flames were licking the boundaries of her property and a neighbour had grabbed a hose and was dousing her house. “I was totally overwhelmed with panic. I packed one shoe and one sock. It was just total panic.”

With the fire roaring ever closer, she spent five minutes spraying the walls of the house with the hosepipe her neighbour had abandoned, then got Duke and Tiggy in the car and set off into a hellish scene.

“There were flames on both sides of the road and if I’d left 15 minutes later I wouldn’t have been able to move. There was an enormous amount of houses on fire – the flames spread from one to another unbelievably quickly. The smoke was intense, clouds of brown, black and red, and it was so hard to breathe.

“For an hour I was stuck driving on a road that usually takes five minutes to drive down. But at least I got out and at least I had my pets.”

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 30 January 2025 من YOU South Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 30 January 2025 من YOU South Africa.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من YOU SOUTH AFRICA مشاهدة الكل
LABOUR OF LOVE
YOU South Africa

LABOUR OF LOVE

Doctors are pushing the limits of science and human biology to save more extremely premature babies\" than ever before. But considering so few survive, are they being put through needless suffering?

time-read
10+ mins  |
13 February 2025
THE BECKS FACTOR
YOU South Africa

THE BECKS FACTOR

From his chiselled six-pack to his perfect pecs, David Beckham sizzles in a steamy new photoshoot

time-read
3 mins  |
13 February 2025
I'VE TAKEN BACK MY LIFE
YOU South Africa

I'VE TAKEN BACK MY LIFE

Cancer patient Ina was told to get her affairs in order but she decided to fight for imported meds and they're making all the difference

time-read
5 mins  |
13 February 2025
WE ARE A RAINBOW NATION'
YOU South Africa

WE ARE A RAINBOW NATION'

His mom despaired when the only primary school to accept him was Afrikaans, a language he doesn't understand. What she hadn't banked on was the kindness of strangers

time-read
5 mins  |
13 February 2025
TRAGEDY IN PARADISE
YOU South Africa

TRAGEDY IN PARADISE

A Durban man and his Welsh fiancée dreamt of starting a life in Vietnam - but they died after drinking tainted alcohol in their villa

time-read
4 mins  |
13 February 2025
IT'S A SLAM DUNK!
YOU South Africa

IT'S A SLAM DUNK!

Madison Keys stormed to victory at the Australian Open - but she had to slay her personal demons to get there

time-read
5 mins  |
13 February 2025
THE NEW TECH TITAN
YOU South Africa

THE NEW TECH TITAN

Chinese maths nerd Liang Wenfeng has given Silicon Valley a major shake-up with the launch of his cut-price AI chatbot DeepSeek

time-read
5 mins  |
13 February 2025
MAKE SQUATS WORK!
YOU South Africa

MAKE SQUATS WORK!

This basic move is a miracle exercise - but only if you do them right

time-read
3 mins  |
13 February 2025
WE'RE GOING TO WIN!
YOU South Africa

WE'RE GOING TO WIN!

Anele Mdoda is over the moon that her movie The Last Ranger has been nominated for an Oscar

time-read
4 mins  |
13 February 2025
MID-AIR HORROR
YOU South Africa

MID-AIR HORROR

A collision between a plane and a helicopter above Washington, DC exacted a heartbreaking toll on life

time-read
4 mins  |
13 February 2025

نحن نستخدم ملفات تعريف الارتباط لتقديم خدماتنا وتحسينها. باستخدام موقعنا ، فإنك توافق على ملفات تعريف الارتباط. يتعلم أكثر