A Sulphur, Oklahoma, native recently looked out the windows of his apartment in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, and a “ball of fire” in the hills caught his attention as he took in the sweeping view.
Ross Chitwood, 40, said he didn’t initially think the blaze that began Jan. 7 would rapidly reach Community United Methodist Church in Pacific Palisades and the upstairs apartment there that he shared with his husband, Zach Kemper.
Kemper, a California native, knew better, and urged Chitwood to send children and teachers at the church’s preschool home while he quickly grabbed a bag of the couple’s clothing and rounded up their pets…