Brittney Baxter was born and raised in Birmingham but moved to Mobile, where she attended the University of Mobile. She now lives with her family on the north side of Malibu in California, along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), where she has a front-row seat to the devastating fires destroying the area.
"There are fires everywhere," Baxter said. "Literally, everything south of us is on fire."
Baxter sent photos to 1819 News showing heavy smoke and helicopters traveling to refuel as they fly around wildfires dropping retardant.
"You can see the helicopters. They're just one right after the other," she said. "They're coming in, they're taking off. It's all around us."
The family of four is preparing for a possible evacuation. They have their bags packed and pets ready to go. Baxter said that after having to evacuate during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, she knew she needed to have a plan. However, she said what she witnessed is unlike anything she's experienced.
"I've never. I'm not going to cry," Baxter said while holding back her emotions.
"I thought that what I saw from Katrina was devastating, but never, ever in my life would I imagine this being a reality for people ever," Baxter said.
"When we came back from UM, along the causeway, there was a lot of damage, but this is not even rubble," she added. "It's barely even ash. Things are just gone."
As an actress on the show "Frasier," Baxter has friends who live in and around Hollywood. She said, so far, all of her friends have gotten out of their homes safely because they heeded the warning.
"As soon as the fire started, they were gone," she said. "They don't play with it. You know, we play with hurricanes in the south, but they don't play with fires here. You can't."
"I have friends who were like stuck, and they don't drive or even have driver's licenses," she said. "The only way for them to get out of Hollywood is to toss on a backpack and hope they can catch a bus somewhere."
"I mean, when people say this is apocalyptic or like a war zone, they are not exaggerating," Baxter added.
Baxter frequently runs errands in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo. Last fall, she said, wildfires raged in Camarillo. She said even then, firefighters ran out of water, just like they have now.
"The fact is that it's a continual issue every time we have a fire," Baxter explained.
Since moving to California nearly four years ago, Baxter said she has recognized that things are handled differently in the Golden State.
"Like, the pumps are on, and there's nothing coming out of them. It's freaking 2025! What do you mean there's no water coming out of the pumps?" she exclaimed.
"And they're making such a big deal out of mutual aid, where like fire stations in San Francisco are sending people here," she added. "They've made such a big deal out of this mutual trade-off, and I'm just like, 'Is that just not what we do?' Because in Alabama and other states, that's something that's just done."
Baxter said residents are also frustrated that Gov. Gavin Newsom waited so long to activate the National Guard.
"I can tell you one thing that nobody is understanding and that nobody is comprehending,' she stated. "Just recently, the governor called in the National Guard."
"Not like as soon as we started having issues," she said. "Literally, 75% of the Pacific Palisades is gone. Like, 75% of an entire town is gone, and you just called in the National Guard?"
While Baxter was on the phone with 1819 News, she was driving her Tesla near Calabasas, along the 101, which stretches from Los Angeles to Washington. As she searched for a place to charge her vehicle, she realized yet another fire started in the area.
"I can see, like, I can see, I can see the smoke. I can see, oh. Oh my gosh," she said. "This is crazy. I'm going to go straight up here. I'm, like, rerouting myself. I'm going to go straight up here. I'm going to turn right instead of turning left."
Meanwhile, due to a packed charging station, she could not charge her vehicle, which had 15% battery life left.
"Oh my God," she said. "I can't even charge here. Every charger is full, and there's a line of 18 cars waiting to charge. Oh no. I have never. I've had this car for almost three years. I have never, ever seen this charging station like this, ever."
"I'm telling you, never in my wildest dreams, never," Baxter continued. "This is, this is insane. I, I have never waited at this charger. I pull right up and I pull right in every time, every time. I know that's such an L.A. problem."
During her time in California, Baxter said she learned that the people are loving and caring. She is saddened that some who have owned their homes for decades have lost everything.
"I would just say that what's happening here is truly unimaginable," Baxter said. "It's hard to fathom that in this city, with all these resources and in 2025, this kind of thing still happens."
More than 45 square miles have been consumed by fire, and more than 180,000 people are under evacuation orders.
Families in California have been monitoring the "Watch Duty" app, which updates fire information such as locations and acres burned.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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