A Turkish citizen whose house was burned in a fire in the USA described the disaster: "I experienced hell."

The wildfires in Los Angeles, California, continue to rage on. Efforts to control the wildfires, which have turned a total of 38,685 acres to ash in four different locations in California, are ongoing with thousands of personnel involved. While the investigation into how the wildfires started continues, 24 people have lost their lives, and thousands have been displaced from their homes.

A TURKISH CITIZEN WHO LOST HER HOME IN THE FIRE SHARED HER EXPERIENCE: "I LIVED THROUGH HELL"

Emine Gülistan, who lives in the U.S., lost her home in the fire in Malibu, Los Angeles. Having come to the U.S. 28 years ago, Gülistan recounted her terrifying moments. "I lived through hell," said Gülistan, "After so many years, it became so bad, so sad. Honestly, words are insufficient. I have seen so many fires, I have witnessed flood disasters here. I have experienced earthquakes. The houses shook constantly. But until now, this has been the worst, the most upsetting, the worst of all."

"IT'S UNBELIEVABLE, I WAS IN SHOCK"

Gülistan described the initial moments of the fire, saying, "I live on Ocean Avenue. While I was sitting, I went out to the balcony because my dog was barking excessively. But it was beyond normal barking. I went out to the balcony and saw smoke rising and flames in the Pacific Palisades area. It's unbelievable. I was in shock. I immediately turned on the TV, and they said the fire had started. I had a program, and I canceled it. I jumped in the car and came here. I thought I would check on the houses and take precautions. It was normal there. We came up here and turned on the sprinkler system."

"THE FIRE WAS GROWING CONSTANTLY AND THERE WAS NO INTERVENTION"

After the authorities declared the Topanga area safe, Gülistan said they arrived in Topanga. "The fire jumped from the road leading to Topanga Canyon. This was a bad start. It started with this. It was a big shock because it meant that everything here would burn down," she said. Emine Gülistan noted that hours passed and the fire spread rapidly, stating, "The fire was constantly growing, and there was no intervention. Because the wind was blowing very fast. There was wind blowing at 80, 90, 95 miles per hour. Sparks were igniting fires wherever they fell. It hasn't rained at all this year. Last year, it rained beautifully. Everything was lush green. This year, everything dried up. It turned into a complete desert. Then those little sparks started fires in small spots. Once the fire started, they couldn't stop it. The areas where the fire spread grew, people were helpless, and the lack of water was a huge problem."

"THEY CLOSED EVERYTHING"

As the fire progressed, Emine Gülistan noted that the authorities closed the roads. "Topanga was closed, Malibu was closed. They closed everything. I asked the police down there, 'Look, I have a house up there, can I go there? At least I want to turn off the gas,' I said. I didn't want any damage to my house. This fire is not getting better. 'Okay,' they said. I came and immediately turned off the system," she recounted her experience on the day of the fire. Later, Gülistan mentioned that she was not allowed to enter the area where her house was to see its condition.

"I HAVE NEVER SEEN A FIRE LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE"

"I have never seen a fire like this in my life," said Gülistan, "The inside of the house was beautifully furnished. That was already my second or third home. After it burned, it turned to ash. When something burns, a chair leg or a piece of a cabinet remains; there is usually some trace left from the fire. None of that was there. There was a house that had completely turned to ash; I couldn't believe it. I even said, 'This can't be my house.' All the houses on the beach had burned down," she explained. Emine Gülistan emphasized how important the house was to her, saying, "I came to this house by getting married. All my memories are here. We had beautiful memories. My late husband and I spent time here. We meet with friends from Turkey here. I love this house very much. We went inside and saw fires in 20-25 places. The garden of the house was also burning. Even the pine tree behind me had caught fire. I turned on the water, but there was no water. I was going to start the generator, but there was no gas, no electricity. My son and I said, 'Let's do something.' We tried to put out the fires one by one. And the scary part is, there was no one else besides us. There were a few firefighters, a few police chiefs. I can see the fires in the houses above; their houses and gardens are burning. The moment a spark flies from them, this place will definitely catch fire," she expressed.

"IT'S A VERY PAINFUL THING NOT TO HAVE WATER IN A PLACE LIKE CALIFORNIA"

Emine Gülistan explained that they tried to put out the fire for about 7-8 hours and returned the next day. She said they checked the house, "We said let's take a look at the garden. There were fires in the garden again. Everything was burning again. There were fires in the neighbors' houses, and there was a fire here. We put them out again. I mean, I had never picked up a shovel in my life, but I learned everything here afterward. A fire broke out in the pipe here, and we couldn't put it out. Not having water in a place like Malibu, like California, is a very painful thing. The ocean is right in front of us; take water from the ocean; they don't use it," she said.

"I WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO TURKISH HOSPITALITY"

Gülistan, who said, "One ends, another begins," expressed that there was no one to put out the fire and added that shortly after, a fire started in her neighbor's house. "I promised some firefighters Turkish food," said Gülistan, "I want to introduce you to Turkish hospitality," I said. They even laughed; they didn't want to do anything. 'We Turks are like this. I will definitely treat you to a Turkish kebab; I am determined about this,' I said. They really liked it," she stated.

"Our consulate, other consulates that have left from here, our attachés, themselves, their spouses, all Turkish groups called Gülistan multiple times every day."İşte metnin İngilizce çevirisi, HTML yapısını bozmadan ve img etiketindeki title ve alt etiketlerine de çeviri uygulayarak:



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"I was so emotional that sometimes I couldn't hold back my tears. I said, look, Turkey has come here, people are always trying to help. When something happens to one of us here, we Turks immediately try to rush to their aid, and this tradition of ours continues to this day. I really felt very good with their moral support. Thank you to everyone," she stated. Noting that there was no government support, Gülistan said, "No, we haven't received any support so far, we haven't heard any promises."

"IF THERE HAD BEEN WATER, MUCH MORE COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED"

Adding that she was surprised by what happened, Gülistan said, "It caused disappointment. How can there be no water in a place like California, especially in Malibu? I understand the gas. Gas is a risky thing. Electricity is also an issue because there are no poles. But if there had been water, much more could have been prevented. They could have used the ocean, but they didn't use that either. That's why I am sad in this regard. I guess when they listen to this, the people here will also be saddened. Can a person be left so empty? This place is already a desert, actually a desert. It rained a lot last year. This year, nothing has rained, and everything is dry. They actually knew that the result of this would be like this. They were caught very unprepared. They could have been more cautious and wouldn't have caused so much pain. I really think I am living in hell here," she stated.