DULLES, Va. (DC News Now) -- As wildfires continue to spread across southern California, a flight from Los Angeles International Airport touched down on Wednesday evening at Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia with people eager to escape the flames. While not everyone on the flight was in the evacuation zone, or even close to the Los Angeles region's most devastating areas, some had to evacuate. That includes the Wu family, who live in Maryland and were on vacation near Pasadena when the wildfires worsened. "You see a spark really far away and then all of a sudden the wind took it and the fire just grew," said Stefan Wu, who traveled with his wife and two sons. "Just came down like a snake." DMV-area volunteers, natives step up to help as California wildfires rage on Wu shared photos and videos with DC News Now of his journey back home to the D.C. area. It included a stop on a California highway to help first responders clear debris off the road -- a fallen tree due to high winds. "They're heading in, they're going to the foothills," he said. "We were trying to get out." Not everyone on the United flight was fleeing, though. But the impact was still felt. Debbie Mardini of Fredericksburg, Va., said she returned from a visit with her children and could see and smell the flames even from a distance. "It's horrendous," she said. "It really is." Mardini said she was without power. "You're literally in the dark," she said. "There's no power, no electricity, you're not able to see what's going on in the local news." American University professor Allan Lichtman is in L.A. visiting his son. Even though he is far away from the flames, he said the air quality is dangerous seemingly everywhere. "We see the effects of the fire even though we are not in the midst of the flame," Lichtman said. "The point is, no one is entirely safe."