WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – As wildfires continue devastating parts of California, residents like Leah Gay are on high alert.
Although she’s not in an evacuation zone, Leah wears a mask whenever she steps outside.
Originally from Blacksburg, she currently lives in West Hollywood where the air quality is dropping and ash blankets the area.
“We want to watch the news all the time to make sure that our area is safe and we’re not evacuating. So we’re basically on a 24-hour news cycle of watching these horrible images and then hearing about people we know who are evacuating or have lost their homes. It’s really just very hard to deal with. But we’re being strong and finding happiness the way that we can, like adopting a dog.”
Leah Gay, Virginia Tech 2014 Alumni
Leah is fostering Bowie, a five-month-old lab, as animal shelters are overwhelmed with displaced pets.
She’s staying informed with the Watch Duty app, which provides real-time updates and maps of the fires and firefighter locations.
