BROOKFIELD, Wis. — A Brookfield woman is working to help her best friend, who lost everything in the LA wildfires. Jordan Hornung grew up in the Los Angeles area and is now seeking donations for her friend Heather Repinski, who evacuated with her family.
“We didn’t know how bad it was going to be,” said Jordan.
Jordan helped set up a Zoom for TMJ4 with Heather. The two told our Waukesha County reporter, Rebecca Klopf, just how scary and fast-moving the Eaton wildfire has been.
“The wildfires here are like hurricanes, but instead of water, it is fire. It kind of puts it into perspective. It is very unpredictable, and the wind just carries it. And it just jumps, and if it finds a place to catch on, it will,” said Heather.
That is what happened last Tuesday around 7 p.m. Heather says they got a call from a family member that the fire was getting closer to their Altadena, California, neighborhood. Heather, her husband, baby, and mom were at the home. Her two stepdaughters were with their mother.
“When we looked out the window, there were flames, so I didn’t know how much time we had,” said Heather.
Watch: Brookfield woman trying to help friend who lost everything in LA fires
Jordan was watching the news here in Brookfield and was talking to Heather when they realized she needed to go.
“Kind of the big fires in the background and it being surreal, having no time to get out of the house and then having to go somewhere else where they didn’t know,” said Jordan.
Heather had their toiletries and baby essentials for her 6-month-old daughter packed. But when the time came to go, they took almost nothing else.
“I got like two pairs of clothes, a little handwritten book my stepdaughter had written, and our passports and a blanket,” said Heather.
Now, Heather, her husband, and their baby are living in a room at a friend's house. Her stepdaughters are with their mother. The home is gone, but so are so many others.
They are struggling to find even temporary housing. On top of that, Heather says people are offering to give them baby items, but they have nowhere to put them because they are essentially living out of a room and their cars. Despite all of this, Heather is remaining positive.
“What does it look like, I really don’t know. It is up in the air. We are trying to create options,” said Heather.
If you want to help Heather and their family, the link to their donation page is here.
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