A fire spreads across Los Angeles, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes. Among the evacuated is scientist Artur Chmielewski, son of “Papcio Chmiel”. He managed to save valuable souvenirs from his father.
Artur Chmielewski is a scientist and works for NASA. He is also the son of the famous cartoonist Henryk Chmielewski (“Papcio Chmiel”), author of the comics “Tytus, Romek i A'Tomek”. On Thursday morning, he told “Dzień Dobry TVN” about how he had to evacuate his house in Los Angeles due to the threat of fire. – We have a lot of fires in California. When I hear about a fire and I have access to NASA satellites, I check where the fire is – he emphasized. – This time I looked (…) and it turned out that there was no time. The fire started about 400 meters from my house – said the scientist.
Artur Chmielewski saved his father's memorabilia
Chmielewski had at home, among others, original boards of the book “Tytus the Astronomer” by “Papcio Chmiel”. – This is a unique thing, it is a souvenir of my father. I threw them (editor's note) into the car, my wife took a few things, we took the dog and ran away – he reported. – There was fire on both sides (of the road – ed.), it was terrifying. Flames and sparks were hitting the windows, it felt hot. I have a car that runs on hydrogen, so I was afraid it would turn into a rocket. It was something we will remember for the rest of our lives, he added.
The son of the cartoonist Henryk Chmielewski – Artur B. ChmielewskiLeszek Szymański/PAP
The next day, when Chmielewski wanted to return and check the condition of his house, the police did not allow him to do so. – It is not known whether my house looks like this (like other burned houses – ed.) or whether it stands still – he said. He added that the houses of many of his NASA colleagues were destroyed by the element.
He published a video on social media showing his escape from the fire. “I usually want to say something funny, but when the fire surrounds your car, the smoke obscures your view, you feel the heat through the windows and you're afraid the tires will catch on fire, you lose your sense of humor a little,” he wrote.
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Dzień Dobry TVN, tvn24.pl
Main photo source: Leszek Szymański/PAP, EPA/ALLISON DINNER