A reporter for ABC News in LA left the women of The View in shock after revealing he was speaking in front of a relative’s burned down home.
The report from ABC News chief correspondent Matt Gutman attempted to give panelists an update as wildfires continued to rage in the city, with the journalist appearing live on the scene from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Gutman provided key insight into the extent of the loss and what he heard from emergency services, and left the presenters truly stunned when he went off script.
Offering a loose timeline of first responders, the 47-year-old revealed how he stood outside the shell of a home belonging to his 73-year-old aunt Jane, completely destroyed by the fires.
“We can’t see it, but I can feel the heat coming from this house, which happens to be my aunt’s house, who lost everything here, like so many people in this part of LA,” he said Thursday. the fires raged for a third day.
The revelation drew gasps from hosts like Whoopi Goldberg as members of the studio audience in Manhattan heard shock.
Gutman then revealed how his aunt was out of town when the fire started, and that he and his family were all safe.
Property records show how she has lived in the four-bedroom house since the 1980s as the community continues to grapple with the crisis. Old photos of the house show how it was left unrecognizable, with only a few stone steps remaining.
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The report from ABC News chief correspondent Matt Gutman sought to give panelists an update as wildfires continued to rage in the city, with the journalist appearing live on the scene Thursday from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Providing key insight into the extent of the loss and what he heard from emergency services, Gutman left hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Sara Haines stunned when he went off script to reveal that the house he was standing in front of belonged to his aunt was.
To start the segment, Goldberg used her knowledge of the area to ask about Gutman’s whereabouts.
“We’re just off Sunset Boulevard,” he specified, walking past a series of completely destroyed buildings.
“And I’ll run our truck… and give you an idea of the devastation,” he continued.
“The mind can’t really comprehend the magnitude of it… Everything here has been destroyed. It’s just a jumble of tubs and appliances.”
From that moment on, the broadcast became grimmer, as the journalist walked through the destroyed street.
While this was happening, Goldberg asked where Gutman was “in terms of where Gelson’s was,” referring to the Southern California supermarket location that had been nearby until it too burned down.
Gutman noted that he was about two blocks north of those remains, prompting Goldberg to explain that she “asked because” [she] lived there, forever.’ She now lives in New York, near The View studio.
Behar went on to ask how the disaster area compared to the other areas he was sent to, a common occurrence for Gutman given his job.
His aunt Jane, 73, was spotted hiking with her nephew in the Santa Monica mountains earlier this year
Old photos of the house she had lived in for decades show how it had been left unrecognizable, with only a few stone steps remaining
“Yes, my aunt is having a hard time,” Gutman said during the broadcast. “You know, it’s been really hard for the family, but I think a lot of people… have [had] the same answer – namely, “I’m fine.” She was actually gone when it happened. “We’re glad no one was killed.”
“There have been injuries there, there have been injuries here, but so far we understand there have been no confirmed fatalities [in the Palisades]which is the most important part,” he said.
Although Gutman said there have been no deaths in the Palisades, a total of five people have died in the fires.
Gutman further warned of the chances that the disaster could worsen due to the high wind speeds, reminding the spectators that such a phenomenon was responsible for starting the fire in the first place.
A few minutes later, after providing some updates, Gutman dropped the proverbial bomb on the panelists, many of whom’s jaws dropped just seconds later.
Afterward, Sara Haines — knowing Gutman also lives in the area — asked how his aunt and the rest of his family were doing amid the developing crisis.
“Yes, my aunt is having a hard time, Sara,” he admitted, before showing some optimism again.
“You know, it’s been very difficult for the family, but I think a lot of people, which is very interesting, have the same answer: ‘I’m fine,'” he said.
“She was actually gone when it happened.
“We are happy that no one was killed, that no one was trapped in these houses
‘There It is a real fear throughout Los Angeles in a way that I have never experienced in 10 years,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the fire continues to burn, with more than 1,000 buildings affected and more than 130,000 under evacuation orders or warnings. Firefighters battling the flames have had to deal with hydrants containing little to no water
Officials have cut the city’s fire brigade budget by as much as $17.6 million this financial year, records show – as the numbers continue to diverge and cast blame on the unfolding disaster.
Photos and time-lapse videos, meanwhile, continue to show the sheer scale of the destruction, the worst in California’s wildfire history
Elsewhere, figures like Megyn Kelly separately took to the airwaves to accuse local officials of prioritizing DEI training over making preparations, with Donald Trump rebroadcast that claim on Thursday.
Meanwhile, firefighters battling the flames were forced to deal with hydrants containing little to no water. Officials have responded by blaming “huge demand.”
Lawmakers cut the city’s fire budget by as much as $17.6 million this fiscal year, a record showing.
So far, more than 1,000 buildings have been affected and more than 130,000 have been issued evacuation orders or warnings. Photos and time-lapse videos have shown the enormity of the destruction.