Amid the chaos of the Palisades Fire, which has prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents in northwest Los Angeles, one unlikely evacuee has captured attention: Tiptoe, a 175-pound celebrity tortoise from Pacific Palisades.
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Known for his larger-than-life presence and gentle nature, Tiptoe was safely relocated as the flames crept dangerously close to his home.
Tiptoe's owner, Caitlin Doran, documented their evacuation in a TikTok video that has been viewed millions of times.
Slowly but surely, Doran lured Tiptoe from his hutch with bell peppers and into the bottom half of a large dog kennel. Then it took three people to lift him into the back of an SUV.
Doran took Tiptoe to a home in Marina del Ray and he took the move "super well," she told NPR. Her landlord and others even came together to build a brand new structure for Tiptoe to live comfortably.
Although they lost their home in the fire, Doran said people can learn a lot from Tiptoe.
"He really is a big piece of the community and I feel like such a good representation of what these next chunk of years are going to look like. Just slow and steady and happy attitude," she told NPR. "Tiptoe has everything he needs on his back, including his home. And for so many of us in the Palisades, that's kind of the same boat we're rocking in."
The Palisades Fire erupted around 10:30 a.m. on January 7 as the area was under a red flag warning for critical fire danger due to a historic wind event that saw gusts of 80 mph. It continued to grow exponentially due to heavy fuel loads and powerful Santa Ana winds.
As of Tuesday morning, the Palisades Fire had scorched 23,713 acres and was 17% contained, up from 14% Monday night.
At least eight people have died in the week-old Palisades Fire, although authorities said they anticipate the number of fatalities to continue rising as crews begin sifting through the ash and rubble.
At least 5,000 structures have been destroyed, though that number is also expected to rise as more assessments are done in the burn area.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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