It only took hours for Tia Pettygrue of New Tampa's loved ones to lose their California homes from the wildfires. "When you didn't hear from them or know if they were okay or not, that was probably the scariest thing," Pettygrue said. Pettygrue was born in Carson, Calif. and still has family who live in the area. She recalls the night she checked in with her brother before the evacuation orders came in. Little did she know her family would be forced to leave with whatever they could when the Eaton fire broke out hours later. "You might see on TV when these disasters happen to other people, but it hits really different when it's people that you know, your family, people that you love," Pettygrue said. Her brother Marc Williamson said the affected areas look like a war zone. "It looks like a bomb went off," he said. Since then, Pettygrue and other family members have been assisting the affected family as best they can. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/california-los-angeles-fire-hurricane-helene-tampa-bay/67-fe599896-035b-4ec2-bed1-28b7e26fbd89