After midnight on Wednesday, "Ark" writer-producer John-Paul Nicholl and his wife, "Gotham Knights" costume designer Jennifer Nicholl, were on the rooftop of a Target in La Canada, Flint. Rich watched as the Eaton Fire spread. "It's like Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings," John Paul Nicholl said.

John Paul Nickell and Jennifer Nickell wondered if fire would hit their home. They evacuated before evacuation orders were issued. Asked what prompted them to leave, Jennifer Nickell recalled: "Embers the size of credit cards flew into our house."

As she grabbed things from her home, like many people who had lost their homes and been displaced, she said, "Never in our lives did we think our house would burn down, because fire never reached where we lived." It's documented. history. "I'm grabbing stuff to be able to be homeless for about a week," she continued. ” That means robbing thousands of dollars worth of work items from styling jobs instead of precious heirlooms.

Among them, John-Paul Nickel is on the road to recovery after undergoing knee surgery in November. His physiotherapist had warned him a few weeks ago: "This is when you get cocky and this is where you're more susceptible to injury." He was told to sit back and watch the application. He was doing this in the dark because they had a power outage and they only had a mini generator to light the room. "I really wanted to help, but Jenny said, 'If you fall or trip or twist your leg, I can't get you out of here.'" He added, "Looking back on that night, I feel so sorry. I just regret having this knee surgery because Jenny has done so much to take care of me and there is nothing I can do to take care of her.”

Even before wildfires devastated their community, the sense of unity was strong. As the embers fell, they visited a neighbor who had not yet left. "We were the last people on the street and we made sure we all evacuated together and no one was left behind," Jennifer Nickell said.

The Nick family thought they would be able to return home in a few days, but the home they had owned since 2008 was destroyed in the Eaton Fire.

Before the call, John-Paul Nickel was dealing with FEMA. They're thinking about what comes next and how long it will take to rebuild, but can they afford to live here?

"I love it here, it's the promised land," John-Paul Nicholl said. However, a few years ago, they almost considered moving to another house, one that better suited their needs. "We didn't do it because we thought we made the safe choice."

Like many people, they benefited from high interest rates and paid off their mortgage slowly. "By making this safe choice, we are worse off because we have nothing. We have to rebuild to meet our mortgage obligations and then we will have nothing again. Our insured amount is the minimum, but at least we There is insurance.”

Currently, they are getting mixed information on how long it will take to have a home. Some estimate three years. John-Paul Nicholl's insurance company told him it would take two years. He expressed concern, saying: "I'm starting to worry that three is too conservative an estimate."

Will all of this cause Pennsylvania natives to move out of the state? John-Paul Nickel said: “There is no place in the world I would rather live than in the great city of Los Angeles.”

Jennifer Nickel was moved by the community's solidarity and the love they received. John-Paul Nickel's "Warehouse 13" family has launched a GoFundMe. Jennifer Nickel said, "The love and support has been so overwhelming and overwhelming. I just keep reminding myself and JP that this week has shown us all that we have in love, friendship, and family, This is far more important than anything we have lost."