Locals house California wildfire victims

The effects of the California fires are being felt worldwide as people evacuate some are in southwest Florida.

When WINK News anchor Claire Galt walked into Gary Eck’s home, Eck told her “Don’t mind me, I have some California evacuees in my living room.”

Eck’s daughter, Jackie, and his 18-month-old granddaughter, Anabelle, sat at the dinner table in his Dean Park home in Fort Myers.

A week ago, the Eaton Fire burned Jackie’s Altadena home to the ground. The flames charred the car and left the home unrecognizable.

“It’s the only place Annabelle has ever lived,” said Jackie.

Now Jackie and Anabelle are staying with Jackie’s parents, Gary and Cathryn.

“My husband came in while I was playing with the baby in the nursery, and he’s like, ‘There’s a fire. We gotta go,’” said Jackie.

For a few days, they went to an inn in Burbank until the flames became too much.

“I made the decision that I would take Annabelle here. She was developing a cough. I mean, we all were but obviously, the baby needed to get her out fast,” said Jackie. “My husband stayed in the area with our two dogs, and our friend was generous enough to let him basically give us use of his house a little farther away from the fires.”

Before Jackie left, she stopped by what was left of her home.

“When we saw it in person like there was a level of, like, you’re in the level of like, denial, where it’s maybe it’s not that bad, like, some houses got missed, and then you see it, and you’re like, ‘There’s nothing’. Everything turned to ash,” said Jackie. “There’s nothing that I can even do to salvage. All I can do is try to remember what we had.”

Gary told WINK “It’s devastating.”

He tries to console his daughter and granddaughter by ordering clothes and toys off Amazon and finds comfort in knowing they’re safe.

“The fact that they’re alive means everything,” said Gary.

Jackie said her family – is lucky they’re alive and they have a safe place to go.

At least 24 people have died in these California wildfires and tens of thousands have been displaced.

Jackie said the hardest part is knowing her neighbors are hurting.