'I Thought We Were Safe:' Fire Victims Allowed To Visit Ventura Homes For First Time

VENTURA (CBSLA) — With little to no time to escape the Thomas Fire, many people left their homes with only the clothes on their backs.

Today, hundreds of people waited in line to be escorted to their homes by police to get some of their things.

"We ran out of the house with the fire going on all around us," one victim said.

Former LAFD helicopter pilot Pat Quinn said he had never seen a fire like the one that has ravaged Ventura over the last week.

"I thought we were safe but boy that fire storm hit and it really went crazy," he said, adding that it was by "luck" his home survived.

"All I wanted to do was just save the lives. The pets and kids," Jenny Simpson said. "I didn't care about the stuff at all."

Public officials have instituted a 24-hour curfew in fire-damaged areas.

In:
• SoCal Fires
• Thomas Fire