ITV broadcaster Ross King has shared the “horrendous” experience of living through the California wildfires, and how he and his girlfriend thought their home was about to go up in flames
Ross King (Image: BBC)
Scottish broadcaster Ross King, renowned for his live Hollywood reports on ITV programmes including Lorraine and Good Morning Britain, has described the “horrendous” moment he feared his Los Angeles residence would be consumed by flames.
Speaking on the Sliding Doors podcast before his Strictly Come Dancing appearance, Ross revealed he resides in the Hollywood Hills, close to the famous Hollywood sign.
During the catastrophic wildfire that claimed at least 30 lives, he continued reporting entertainment news for ITV. However, the blazes were steadily approaching his neighbourhood.
“It was getting to a point where in the area, they were saying get ready to evacuate… make sure the car is packed. You’re possibly going to have to go. I was here with my girlfriend,” he added, “we were just watching the TV and seeing the horrendous scenes.”
Ross mentioned that his partner Bridget was eager to depart before the fire advanced further and traffic jammed the escape routes.
Ross King’s girlfriend Bridget supports him on Strictly(Image: BBC)
“So,” Ross added, “we were sitting thinking, okay, what do we do? And we were still watching it on TV. And then the bizarre thing was that, because this was late at night, I was actually… I’ve got a TV studio in the house.
“So I was running down doing live reports for Lorraine and Good Morning Britain, and then coming back up and then looking and going, ‘where are the fires now?’
“And it was just incredible that we thought, it’s getting really close thinking, ‘we need to go.’ And then you look around the house and you think, you can’t take, obviously, very much.”
Ross is partnered with Jowita Przystał on Strictly(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Ross revealed he was preparing to bid farewell to his Hollywood residence, potentially for the final time, when a “magical” incident unfolded.
He remembered: “Then you look around the house and you think, ‘OK, I’m going to leave the house. This might be the last time that I ever see this house’.”
However, a fire-fighting helicopter then rescued Ross’s property – and potentially his life.
He explained: “A helicopter came in, one of the water drop helicopters, and just made the most magnificent swoop and dropped water… it was just a magical moment that put out such a huge part of the fire.”
Strictly Come Dancing star Ross King had his girlfriend Bridget in the crowd during tonight’s live show(Image: BBC)
Ross continued: “We both looked at each other and said, ‘that has just absolutely saved us’. And it saved so many properties, possibly saved so many lives as well. It was just that moment where you thought, oh my goodness me, how life could have been very different, it changed completely.”
He acknowledges that whilst he experienced considerable “Survivor’s Guilt”, confessing “I certainly had that” after witnessing how much some of his neighbours had lost in the wildfires, he also recognised how fortunate he had been.
The Strictly star shared with emotion: “One day, you’re watching the TV and you’re watching these incredibly sad stories, people that have lost, you know, lives, lost people, lost possessions, lost homes, lost work, lost jobs, everything.
“It just suddenly bubbled up inside me. And I realised that again, I was thinking how lucky I am.”