Major League Baseball star Ohtani Shohei says he evacuated from his home for about two weeks when wildfires were raging around Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player spoke to reporters after an event for fans on Saturday.
A wildfire that broke out on January 7 rapidly spread, forcing more than 100,000 residents to evacuate.
Ohtani said he heard a fire alert at night and he contacted various people before evacuating.
He said it was more important than anything else to evacuate with his wife and dog, so he packed up quickly.
Recalling his experience, he explained that he stayed at a friend’s house for about two weeks before returning home. He added that during that period he caught the flu and could not work out properly.
Asked how he felt about the wildfires, Ohtani said his heart sank when he witnessed areas and houses that were burned down.
He also said he had a chance to talk to firefighters and found out that many of them had not gone back home during the time they were battling the fires.
Ohtani added that he hopes everyone will be able to return to their normal lives as soon as possible.
The Japanese superstar donated 500,000 dollars to fire relief efforts. He also visited a fire station in the affected area to thank firefighters.
