While film director Michael Sajbel calls Appleton, Wisconsin, home, his career — and part of his heart — are rooted in Los Angeles. Now, he watches in devastation as the city he considers his "other home" struggles to recover from catastrophic wildfires.

“It was apocalyptic,” Sajbel said.

Sajbel shared an image from his flight out of Los Angeles on Wednesday, capturing haunting images of the destruction below.

“We flew out over the city, and it was dark,” he said. “I looked down out of the plane window, and there’s SoFi Stadium — where the Packers played the Rams just a few weeks ago — but you could barely see it through the smoke. A lot of good friends lost their homes.”

Sajbel, who grew up in Appleton, spends much of his time in Los Angeles, where he works in the film industry and owns a home.

“I got there last Friday, and everything was normal,” Sajbel said. “But by Sunday night, the winds started howling, with gusts up to 90-100 mph. Huge clouds formed in the west, but they weren’t rain clouds—they were clouds of fire.”

Though Sajbel’s home remains intact, he said friends in the Pacific Palisades are facing significant losses.

“This morning, I was on a Zoom call with two guys who’ve already lost their houses, and others are on evacuation warnings,” he said. “It was ethereal.”

To support those in need, Sajbel has opened his Los Angeles home to two families whose homes were destroyed.

Beyond his personal connections, Sajbel is concerned about the broader impact on the community.

“The stores that burned down, the people who worked in those stores, the jobs that are gone — it’s just overwhelming,” he said. “I don’t think we even fully understand the devastation yet. It’s almost as if a nuclear bomb went off.”

Despite the challenges, Sajbel believes Los Angeles will rebuild.

“It’s going to take time and help from others,” he said. “But the city will come back strong.”

This story was originally published by Ezekiel Telemaco at Scripps News Green Bay.