The Thomas fire, which has consumed over 500 structures with flames, destroyed the Ojai home of a retired Santa Clarita Valley Station deputy and former Newhall School Board member.

Mike Shapiro lost his entire home in Ojai, along with the contents, due to the Thomas Fire, which has raged from Santa Paula to Santa Barbara — charing 173,000 acres.

“The house was a total loss, and everything we ever owned was in that house,” said Shapiro. “We are left with the clothes on our back and a toiletries bag.”

Shapiro warned of the panic that can come with evacuating during a disaster, and the little time people may have to evacuate.

“We were given very little notice,” he said. “My wife came home to a person with search and rescue telling us we had to leave.”

The family was able to take two bins of photos and a fire box containing important documents, said Shapiro.

“The best piece of advice I can give to someone is to digitally backup your photos,” he added. “We lost so many memories that cannot be replaced.”

The family is temporarily living in a Santa Clarita hotel until they can find more long-term housing, said Shapiro.

The retired Sheriff’s sergeant served 30 years in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,15 of which he was located at the Santa Clarita Valley Station.

Shapiro previously served as a Newhall School District board member for 13 years after stepping down in 2016, according to NSD officials.

The Thomas Fire started on Dec. 4, in upper Ojai near Thomas Aquinas College in the city of Santa Paula, according to the incident report.

Due to the Santa Ana wind events in the area, the fire spread rapidly and continues to burn actively with extreme rates of spread and long-range spotting when pushed by winds, said fire officials.

Residents wishing to help victims of the Thomas Fire or Creek Fire can donate to the Santa Clarita Valley Disaster Coalition here.

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