When disaster strikes, instinct can drive us to extraordinary feats. Such was the case for “Gossip Girl” reboot actor Samantha Rose Baldwin, who raced against the clock through fire and smoke to save her beloved cat during the recent Palisades fire in LA.
Samantha Rose Baldwin ran through fire and ashes to save her cat
The chaos began with a fierce Santa Ana windstorm, which ignited the blaze that would consume vast areas of Southern California. Baldwin, 26, found herself trapped in heavy traffic on Sunset Boulevard, a drive that would typically take less than half an hour turning into a grueling ordeal. With her GPS estimating another two-hour wait, Baldwin made the bold decision to abandon her car and sprint the remaining distance to her apartment.
Her father, Michael Baldwin, was simultaneously engaged in evacuating students from a nearby elementary school that was ultimately destroyed by the fire. As flames raged on, Baldwin focused entirely on rescuing her cat, Kitty. Despite the suffocating smoke and debris, Baldwin finally found her cat hiding inside the couch. She quickly bundled Kitty into a carrier backpack, knowing their journey was far from over.
Once outside, Baldwin found herself in a scene straight out of an action movie — flames surrounding her and no clear path to safety. With roads blocked and the fire closing in, Baldwin’s only option was to head towards the ocean. “I had to dart in and out of the cars and dodge flaming branches and palm leaves falling to the ground all around me like a minefield,” Baldwin told the Daily Mail.
Upon reaching the beach, Baldwin reunited with her father, who had also survived his own ordeal. Now temporarily staying with a friend in North Hollywood, Baldwin is grateful for her and Kitty’s survival. She reflects on the resilience both she and Kitty have shown, particularly noting Kitty’s history of surviving natural disasters, including Hurricane Maria in 2017. Despite her physical exhaustion and a “scratchy” throat from the smoke, Baldwin is thankful to be alive, with her father and cat safe by her side.
