CHICAGO (WLS) -- As the wildfires continue to grow across Los Angeles County, many Chicago-natives are finding themselves caught in the chaos.
Danielle Ryan moved from Riverside, Ill., to Palisades four months ago, and on Tuesday afternoon, she said she was startled awake to a desperate call from family in Chicago.
"My sister was calling, calling, and right when I looked out my window, I could see all the smoke and then all of my neighbors were just evacuating," Ryan said.
Ryan said she had to flee her new home.
"Grab your passport, grab your computer, grab your medication and just get out of there," Ryan explained. "I just put everything in my bag and I just got out of there."
READ MORE: 5 fatalities confirmed as Southern California wildfires rage; 1,000+ structures destroyed
The smoke was already moving in, and the famed Sunset Boulevard was already slammed with evacuees, just as panicked as she was.
The school where Ryan was supposed to begin teaching at next Monday - Pacific Palisades High School - is now gone.
"You're just living in a constant state of trauma," Ryan said.
"We're seeing just apocalyptic fires and smoke," said Oak Park-native Frank Mastranuzzi, who now lives in Hollywood, relatively safe for now but is surrounded by flames.
"Where we are is now triangulated," Mastranuzzi said. "With these winds so unpredictable, fires could pop-up in places they're not expected."
And with the fires comes a ripple effect on all other city services for Angelinos engulfed in converging crises.
Mastranuzzi explained, "They've just announced a lot of the water reservoirs are empty already and [they] cannot refill them. The city of Los Angeles just mentioned water quality is going to be low... to not drink tap water, so we're all running out to the stores to get water."
But with the fires and Santa Ana winds still raging, officials are begging people to adhere to evacuation orders and stay off the roads, if possible.
Will Chehab of Evanston said he moved to the Los Angeles area seven months ago, and for the first time is experiencing the brutality of southern California's climate.
"When I was walking to the grocery store, which is across the street, it felt like there was ash in my teeth," Chehab said.
Living just a mile away from the evacuation area, Chehab fled for the safety of an aunt's house.
"The winds were super strong. The winds were rattling our windows," Chehab said. "It almost felt like an earthquake, where I work at and I get back to my apartment, and the sky is orange."
In almost every direction of Los Angeles, at least four wildfires are threatening millions.
Veteran ABC7 Chicago anchor Linda Yu is one of them.
"I was just grateful this morning that the go-bag was still sitting there and we didn't have to use it," Yu said.
Safely ensconced miles from each fire, but with family fleeing Santa Monica, she couldn't help but draw a parallel to her second city.
"I think I understand how Chicagoans, back in 1871 with the Great Chicago Fire, how they must have felt," Yu recalled. "Because they must have been saying the whole city is going to burn down. And that's how it felt last night. And I think everybody else felt that way too."