Ex-Neighbours star Scarlet Vas caught up in the California wildfires

Former Neighbours star Scarlet Vas has revealed her horror after watching the Californian wildfires come dangerously close to her new home.

The Australian actress, 25, had only recently moved to Monterey with her musician boyfriend, Tayo, to work on their respective careers.

Scarlet recorded a TikTok video about the ordeal which has since gone viral, and told Jam Press how terrifying the experience was.

‘What we walked into was a complete utter shock’: Ex-Neighbours star Scarlet Vas has revealed her horror after watching the Californian wildfires come dangerously close to her new home

‘We had no idea the fires were that bad,’ Scarlet said.

‘We saw it on the news but had never seen it in real life.’

‘Especially in Los Angeles where we usually are – there were no fires, so what we walked into was a complete utter shock.’

Rocky start: The Australian actress, 25, had only recently moved to Monterey with her musician boyfriend, Tayo, to work on their respective careers

Rocky start: The Australian actress, 25, had only recently moved to Monterey with her musician boyfriend, Tayo, to work on their respective careers

Scarlet and Tayo was on their way back from a day at Santa Cruz beach when they saw smoke near the hills while approaching their home.

She said that a lightning bolt is believed to have caused the fire.

‘The night before, there was a massive lightning bolt sound that woke everyone up, we thought it had hit our house,’ she said.

Scary stuff: Scarlet was on her way back from a day at Santa Cruz beach with her partner, when upon approaching their house they saw an excessive amount of smoke near the hills. She said that a lightning bolt caused the fire

Scary stuff: Scarlet was on her way back from a day at Santa Cruz beach with her partner, when upon approaching their house they saw an excessive amount of smoke near the hills. She said that a lightning bolt caused the fire

‘When driving back from Santa Cruz, we heard that the lightning bolt we heard actually caused a fire.

‘Every kilometre closer we were getting to the house, the closer we got to the burning flames.’

She revealed their neighbours were in shock as they watched the fires rage. 

‘When we arrived we waited with everyone on the street who was watching the fires, waiting to see if the fire would come down to the street and take their houses,’ she said.

Terrifying: 'The main issue was that we could barely breathe, the air was so thick, we could not see the sky, and the ash was raining down like snow,' she said. Pictured is her boyfriend Tayo

Terrifying: ‘The main issue was that we could barely breathe, the air was so thick, we could not see the sky, and the ash was raining down like snow,’ she said. Pictured is her boyfriend Tayo

‘Some people jumped in and helped tame the fires!’ she added.

‘The main issue was that we could barely breathe, the air was so thick, we could not see the sky, and the ash was raining down like snow.’

Despite the intensity of the flames and their close proximity, Scarlet and her neighbours tried to keep things as normal as possible.

She explained: ‘In Australia, it is completely illegal to have a BBQ during a time like this, so I was pretty confused when our friends started having a BBQ but out here, they make it seem pretty normal.

‘I guess it is a completely different culture to Australia.

‘Everyone on the street had an attitude like, “Well, if it comes down the hill, it comes> There’s nothing we can do, so let’s have a drink in the meantime!”

‘We did not leave prior to mandatory evacuation, as we knew we were safe where we were at the time. It took two-three days before it came through.’

'It's a completely different culture': Despite the intensity of the flames and the close proximity of them to where they were staying, Scarlet and the other residents of the street tried to keep things as normal as possible

‘It’s a completely different culture’: Despite the intensity of the flames and the close proximity of them to where they were staying, Scarlet and the other residents of the street tried to keep things as normal as possible

She added that her neighbours had a ‘positive attitude’ and ‘stayed calm.’ 

‘Everyone had a really positive attitude and stayed calm, I was surprised but Americans seem to stay pretty carefree about most things.

‘It was nice to see everyone come together and help each other out.’

‘Most people were certain they were safe, even though it was so close.’

‘They all started hosing down their houses with water and were happy to wait till last minute.’

‘I honestly thought it was slightly crazy… my first instinct was to get in the car and drive far away.’

Now safely back in LA where the fires have not reached, Scarlet said she and Tayo ‘had a few moments where we felt unsafe but the community was beautiful.’

‘Everyone gets together and helps each other out and definitely try and get on with their lives for sure.’

She added: ‘It has not affected me personally, Tayo was able to get his studio sessions done in time and complete all his meetings, so we quickly came back to LA to get back to normal life.’

So close: Now safely back in LA where the fires have not reached, Scarlet said she and Tayo 'had a few moments where we felt unsafe but the community was beautiful'

So close: Now safely back in LA where the fires have not reached, Scarlet said she and Tayo ‘had a few moments where we felt unsafe but the community was beautiful’

There was a generally mixed response to Scarlet’s frightening ordeal on TikTok.

One follower said: ‘OMG that is so sad. Why is everything burning.’

Another added: ‘This looks like a volcano eruption.’

Whilst others were not impressed by Scarlet’s somewhat lax attitude to a potentially dangerous situation. 

‘Why would you wait to be told to evacuate if it is that close? I’d just look out for myself the second I felt unsafe,’ they said.

Wildfires are raging across California with an estimated 25 separate blazes torching over two million acres.

On Sunday, it emerged that the El Dorado Fire near San Bernardino was started by a gender reveal photoshoot.

At least 35 people have been airlifted to safety after being trapped by one of the two dozen wildfires that have torched a record two million acres in California.

Scarlet appeared on Neighbours for a year and announced her departure from the soap in October 2018. 

She played policewoman Mishti Sharma. 

Familiar face: Scarlet appeared on Neighbours for a year and announced her departure from the soap in October 2018. She played policewoman Mishti Sharma

Familiar face: Scarlet appeared on Neighbours for a year and announced her departure from the soap in October 2018. She played policewoman Mishti Sharma

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