WISCONSIN — Just five years ago, Brooke Bayer left her home state of Wisconsin and headed west to California. Bayer grew up in Mequon and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
“I work in the entertainment industry,” said Bayer. “I work in production, art department stuff for TV shows and film.”
From the Oscars to the Rose Parade and even the sitcom "Young Sheldon," Bayer does it all. But her current reality feels as if she’s living in a movie: The California wildfires.
“I was at Warner Brothers Wednesday morning,” said Bayer. “I had a call time at 7 a.m. I walked in and saw just black sky. It was crazy. It was really scary. Twenty minutes after our call time, at 7:20, they called us and said, 'Alright go home. We’re shutting down.'”
While her apartment in Burbank hasn’t been affected yet, Bayer is feeling the impact of the wildfires. At one point she lost power for eight hours and her complex is asking residents to conserve their water use. The smoke could also be getting to her.
“I started feeling a little under the weather about a week ago,” said Bayer. “I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but the last few days have been the worst. I had headaches and migraines I’ve never experienced before. Today I feel better because I went to urgent care.”
A go bag is ready just incase she’ll have to evacuate. Bayer has looked at the possibility of coming home to Wisconsin, but the flights are expensive. Her plan now is to stay in LA and help.
“I know that we’re going to rebuild because this city is strong,” said Bayer. “We’re all going to come together and we have so many volunteers out there helping and everything. I’m actually going to go volunteer today, so I’m excited for that.”