Stylist Maeve Reilly Shares Scary Story About Rescuing Her Pets and Escaping L.A. Fires: ‘The Fire Came So Fast’

Maeve Reilly is sharing her terrifying experience evacuating from the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area that destroyed her home.

On her Instagram Stories on Saturday, Jan. 11, the 37-year-old celebrity stylist walked followers through what she and husband Zach Quittman experienced after they received the notice about the Palisades fire and needed to escape from it on Tuesday Jan. 7.

She began her story with a video of the smoke billowing out behind a mountain, saying that she was “30 minutes away” from her home when the “fire broke out,” and she and her husband immediately “tried to get home from different directions.”

She noted that she “cried” her way “through five different stop zones,” while showing a video of her car racing to get back home. She said she was worried about her pets that were still inside her home and there “was no way I wasn’t going in to get them.”

Related: Celebrities Who Have Lost Homes or Had to Evacuate in the Los Angeles Fires, and What They've Said

Reilly then shared a video of herself and her husband riding on an electric bike as they tried to make their way back to their neighborhood through the gridlock.

“We had 10 minutes max in the house,” she said in a follow-up post. “We took nothing but an overnight bag and our animals. We couldn’t breathe in the house and that was the scariest part. We had no idea we would ever go home again.”

However, she noted that the “fire came so fast,” recalling that “10 minutes before” when they got to their home “it was nowhere near us,” but then “we were surrounded.” She said authorities “wouldn’t let the cars out” and they were left in a “parking lot.”

She said that the “next part was the scariest moment of our lives,” explaining that the Los Angeles Police Department “came running up to our cars and told everyone to run for their lives” and “run to the beach.”

“So Zach gave me all 3 animals and told me to run,” she shared, adding that her husband “went back for his truck” and “miraculously got it out” and picked them up “down the hill.” They then hopped from home to home, going to her in-laws and then Zach’s sister’s house, which were both evacuated in the following days due to separate fires.

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Related: See the Most Dramatic, Terrifying Photos of the California Wildfire Devastation

She said they ended up just going to Palm Springs because they “couldn’t handle it anymore” and “just needed to get far enough away to be able to feel safe.”

On Friday, Jan. 10, they were able to find a police escort to take them back to their neighborhood to “see if there was anything left.”

She showed the charred remains of the buildings along her neighborhood before revealing what her house looked like after the fire. The home was diminished to rubble in a video posted by Reilly. She wrote, “There was nothing” along with several heartbreak emojis. She also showed a photo of her shoes walking over the remains of the house, writing, “Our entire lives turned to dust.”

“I have never seen anything like this. I still cannot process,” she wrote over several more videos and pictures showing the extent of the damage. “I’m in shock one minute. Sobbing the next. Going into survival mode and figuring out our next steps.”

The stylist noted that her car, which was left on the road, survived the damage from the fire and she was able to enter it and retrieve some belongings including her “purse,” “sunglasses,” a “pair of earrings” and her “camera.” She said that she was “grateful for the few items” she had in the car that she was able to obtain.

She concluded her post with a positive message, saying in part, “We made it to my office last night. The comfort I felt being in a familiar place was overwhelming. I wish I had more personal stuff there. I can’t believe I didn’t.”

“So many people lost homes and businesses in the Palisades. Small wins feel big today,” she continued. “Our hearts are full of gratitude not just for what we’ve received, but the LOVE!!!! While the material things are gone, what remains is a renewed appreciation for life, community, and the moments we share with those we love.”

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