ABC News reporter Matt Gutman appeared live on “The View” on Thursday morning, reporting from on the ground in the Palisades in some of the aftermath of the massive fire that’s been burning for three days. But he truly stunned the hosts and audience when he revealed that he was actually reporting from the burnt-down remains of one of his own relatives’ homes.
Gutman noted that he was just off Sunset Boulevard as he took viewers through some of the wreckage that has occurred from the flames, detailing the extent of the loss and what he’s heard from first responders.
At one point, host Sara Haines asked specifically about whether there is a clear “sense of how long firefighters expect this to go on” yet.
“They think that they’re going to be just here in the Palisades for a number of weeks. They don’t know how many, but they know that there are going to be hot spots embedded in roots of trees like that,” Gutman replied, gesturing to a nearby tree.
He continued, “We can’t see it, but I can feel the heat emanating from this house, which actually happens to be my aunt’s house, who lost everything here, like so many people actually in this part of L.A.”
At that reveal, the hosts and audience let out an audible sound of shock and sympathy as Gutman went into further detail. Fortunately, Gutman’s aunt was out of town when the fires started, and he and his family are all safe.
The location of his reporting was also a bit close to home for Whoopi Goldberg — or at least, a former home. Early in the segment, Whoopi asked where Gutman was “in terms of where Gelson’s was” (For those unaware, Gelson’s is a supermarket chain in Southern California).
Gutman noted he was about two blocks north, prompting Whoopi to explain that “I was asking because I lived there, forever.” The host now lives in New York, where “The View” films.
You can watch the full segment from “The View” in the video, above.
