itstargetnews
A Minnesota storm chaser finds himself inside a burning house in Los Angeles California wildfires This week he described how his faith came “instinctively” as he prayed in the embers-filled streets as he fled.
Tanner Charles Schaaf, who flew to Los Angeles to spend time with friends during the holidays, said God told him to extend his trip a few days.
“I’m praying about it and I just feel like I need to extend it,” Schaaf told Fox News Digital. “The next day, the fire broke out.”
Tanner Charles Schaaf shared a photo of him fleeing his home with friends during the California wildfires. (Tanner Charles Schaaf)
Although Schaaf has been tracking natural disasters for more than 16 years, he said he has never seen a wildfire of this magnitude. fence fire.
He met a friend who lived in the Los Angeles area and helped him pack because he knew it would take a huge toll.
“We went (to his house) and started hosing down all the plants because I noticed a lot of the plants would catch fire first and then the house would catch fire,” Schaaf said. “We’re hosing down the trees and the house itself, doing our best to make it as fire-proof as possible.”
He and his friends stood in the front and back of the house, each equipped with water pipes. Inside, they checked on each other and saw hot embers engulfing a nearby tree and fence.
“The entire fence caught fire in about 10 to 20 seconds,” Schaaf said. “I looked outside (and said), ‘It’s time to leave. We can’t do this.'” It was horrific. “
Tanner Charles Schaaf shared a photo of him fleeing his home with friends during the California wildfires. (Tanner Charles Schaaf)
A video posted by Schaaf of the two fleeing their home has received millions of views on the social media platform X.
“We tried our best, man. I’m sorry,” Schaaf yells to his friend in the video. “We tried our best.”
He described hearing the sounds of random explosions and compared it to a war zone.
Tanner Charles Schaaf shared a photo of him fleeing his home with friends during the California wildfires. (Tanner Charles Schaaf)
“The embers were falling, the wind was howling, the smoke was billowing, and you heard explosions,” Schaaf said. “When the embers ignited something very close to us, you could hear the sound it made – it was really loud… …It felt like I was in a giant oven.”
In another widely circulated video, the pair walked briskly onto a fiery street and Schaaf could be heard praying nearby.
“Lord, protect this house in the name of Jesus,” he said, raising his hands toward the homes. “God, in the name of Jesus, protect this community, amen.”
Palisades residents describe losing home in fire
His friend responded from a distance: “This tree will kill us.”
Tanner Charles Schaaf shared a photo of him fleeing his home with friends during the California wildfires. (Tanner Charles Schaaf)
Schaff said it was important to incorporate faith into everything he did, especially in a situation where he knew his life would be changed forever.
He remembers talking to an older man who was hunkered down with his young nephews and refusing to evacuate.
“He said, ‘Oh, we’ll be fine. My house is fireproof,'” Schaaf said. “I always have things like that in the back of my mind and I’m like, ‘Did they really succeed?’ Spending time in prayer is really important and it can change a lot of things in the world.”
Schaaf said that a few years ago, while chasing a storm, he asked God to show him his power. He said God responded by telling him to start praying when he was in a dangerous situation.
Tanner Charles Schaaf shared a photo of him fleeing his home with friends during the California wildfires. It was destroyed in the fire, Schaaf said. (Tanner Charles Schaaf)
“(I started saying), ‘In the name of Jesus, I pray that the tornado dissipates now,’ and then I would see the tornado dissipate in front of me,” Schaaf said. “You can look online and you can absolutely see it all around me when I pray. So to stop and pray (during the California wildfires), it was instinctive.”
While the viral video was exciting, he said his focus was helping his friend escape the fire.
Click here to get the Fox News app
“I like documenting real things that people are going through and what they look like,” he said. “It happens that millions of people see it. Hopefully people can see this and they can realize the seriousness of the situation and what’s really going on… The rise in fame, if you will, is (I’m) just trying my best here Instead, try to love others.”
