They stood outside their Burbank apartment and smelled smoke. They stood inside their apartment and smelled smoke. Three separate wildfires burned around their community. Despite not receiving an evacuation warning, Christian Sanford and his girlfriend decided to leave. “We made the decision to evac out of our apartment a little early, ahead of warnings. We didn’t have a direct must evac warning, but we wanted to get ahead of it,” Christian Sanford while standing in the Webster community of San Diego. “We wanted to be able to leave on our own terms and to leave calmly and make sure we have everything and not lose anything in the panic.” Wildfires 16 hours ago Live updates: New evacuation orders for Palisades Fire in parts of Encino, Tarzana California Wildfires 11 hours ago Map: See where Los Angeles County wildfires are burning California Wildfires 8 hours ago The clear links between the California wildfires and climate change The Eaton, Hurst, and Palisades fires surround their community. At least five major wildfires were burning in the Los Angeles area on Friday. “I think it’s obviously tragic and terrible and, you know, heart-wrenching for a city to lose this much this fast,” Sanford said. Sanford took video of what they chose to leave behind, they grabbed their two cats, and drove south to San Diego. “I really sympathize with people that want to protect their homes and to protect everything that they own. Right. I think that’s a very reasonable feeling,” he said. “But your life isn’t more important than a home. Besides the safety of his community, Sanford said he and his neighbors are worried about their jobs. No work means no money for hundreds of thousands in Los Angeles. “A lot of people are still having to find ways to secure income, still having to find ways to pay their bills. Those don’t stop.” Ultimately, Sanford said the government needs to be better prepared for wildfires. “I think we cannot wait for these disasters to happen and act retroactively,” he said. “I think it is imperative that the State of California, and the United States on the whole, take more direct action to spend more money and to stop prioritizing profits over the safety of citizens.”