Local man's family evacuates ahead of California wildfire

Among the thousands of people forced to leave their homes over the weekend in the midst of devastating wildfires in northern California, were the parents of Carolina Mudcats announcer Greg Young.

As they were running from the flames taking over his hometown he was here in North Carolina, helplessly watching it all unfold.

The place Young calls home, Middletown, California was swallowed by flames that forced his parents, Greg and Belinda to leave Saturday in a hurry.

"That's what she was yelling on the phone was that it happened so fast, there was no warning and that she could see the flames," Young describes the frantic phone call with his mother as they were evacuating. "And that's essentially when the phone call cut out was really at that point. So that was very tough, very, very tough."

Only a few hours earlier, the wildfire ignited in nearby Cobb, soon scorching 50-thousand acres in Lake County, devastating entire communities in less than 24 hours.

"Everyone was running away as fast as they could and also having to driving through the fire to get out," said Young.

Young, who's working with the Mudcats in Zebulon through the off-season, took to Twitter Saturday after learning his childhood home was in the hot zone and his parents, who raise miniature horses and Australian Shepards, loaded two cars with as many animals as they could and hit the road along with thousands of other families.

The tweet read,

"Literally my nightmare. I'm 3-thousand miles away and am completely helpless."

"It really hurt to know that I couldn't do anything and that I was this far away," he explained.

"The feeling that I have of being helpless is really what all of them are experiencing because they're miles and miles away from their homes. They can't do anything about what's happening. All they can do is sit and wait and hope that their homes make it."

Young's parents made it out safely and are staying with family in another town.

A friend was able to check on their home; Young said it seems to be mostly intact and the animals that were left behind, survived.

Young said Crossfit 611 in Southern Pines is collecting donations that will go to the families in northern California affected by the wildfires.

Donations can be dropped off at Crossfit 611: 1650 U.S. 1 Southern Pines, NC 28387 during gym hours, 8-10 a.m. and 5-7 p.m.