Families screamed as we were told to ‘run for our lives’ on foot from deadly LA fires – I may not have a home anymore
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A SURVIVOR of the deadly Los Angeles fires has relived the terrifying moment firefighters screamed at families to ditch their cars and run for their lives. Phillip Cohen, 68, was forced to leave his beloved home in the path of the wildfire inferno that's killed five and displaced 180,000.
![[Phillip Cohen, 68, opened up about evacuating the Los Angeles fires in an exclusive conversation with The U.S. Sun]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/phillip-cohen-i-escaped-la-962620784.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
"This is the worst I've seen [in Los Angeles]. The spread is crazy," Cohen said in an exclusive conversation with The U.S. Sun. "I don't know what's left. I may have lost all of my son's baby photos from my hard drive, everything from my computer, and furniture. I can't go back for four of five days.".
![[Brave residents tried to help firefighters to stop the flames in Pasadena on Wednesday]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/pedestrians-help-firefighter-stretch-hose-962590080.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
At least five fires have broken out in the Los Angeles area since Tuesday morning, and three haven't been contained at all, officials said on Thursday. The historic Pacific Palisades and star-studded Hollywood Hills neighborhoods have both been hit, and A-list celebs like Paris Hilton, Anthony Hopkins, and Billy Crystal have seen their homes reduced to smoldering rubble.
![[Gorgeous buildings in the enviable Pacific Palisades neighborhood burnt to a crisp after the worst fire in LA history descended on the city]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/firefighters-battle-palisades-fire-burns-962432747_67ad26.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Strong winds have blown flames to the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, and Sunset regions, with President-elect Donald Trump deeming the tragedy "apocalyptic.". "This is pretty much the worst possible scenario for a firefight," the Los Angeles Fire Department's David Ortiz told KTLA.
It comes as... On Wednesday, Cohen, a retired educator who is fighting cancer, ran to the Westwood Recreation Center for cover as flames approached his property. In his condition, Cohen was anxious to leave the comfort of his home, so he watched and waited while others evacuated.
![[Fire erupted from a large structure in the Pacific Palisades]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/fire-engulfs-building-powerful-winds-962432890.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
