Richard Passmore was celebrating his fourth month of retirement from Southern California Edison when flames from the Bobcat fire began creeping toward his Juniper Hills home.
The 63-year-old watched as smoke rolled into the valley. He knew it was time to leave when he heard bulldozers creating fire breaks and saw planes dropping retardant on the other side of his hill.
From the safety of a friend’s house, he watched as flames lapped at his neighborhood through aerial footage on TV. Another friend called him a few days later with a report.
“It’s gone, Rich,” his friend said.
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