General Hospital alum Kimberly McCullough Shares Advice From Her Own Harrowing Fire Experience

The devastation from the California wildfires has been nothing short of catastrophic. Many soap stars, including General Hospital’s Cameron Mathison and The Young and the Restless’ Eric Braeden among others, lost their homes. Former GH star Kimberly McCullough, who grew up on the show as Robin Scorpio, took to social media to share her previous experience in a fire. The actress/director imparted much-needed advice about how to deal with such a horrible situation.

Smoke Is a Major Villain

On Instagram, McCullough shared a lengthy passage that began with, “My dearest LA family. My heart is breaking for you. Having been evacuated in the middle of the night during the start of the #ThomasFire in 2017 with a five-month-old, I have some information I’d like to share with you. I know how hard it can be to think straight when you’re scared for your life and feeling all of the devastation around you.” McCullough then specified who her message was intended for — people who were ordered to evacuate or just wanted to vacate the area.

She continued, “If you have time BEFORE YOU LEAVE YOUR HOUSE, go around and make sure all of your windows are closed. When we left Ojai at 3am, there was a small bathroom window that was cracked open. The smoke that crept into our house embedded itself in our walls, the insulation, every mattress and porous thing in our house and cost $30k in damage.” She also noted that they had to wait for three months before returning because they needed to replace everything in the house before letting their child back in.

READ THIS: Find out what’s coming up next on GH.

Insurance Was a Hassle

McCullough then explained that dealing with her insurance company was a huge hassle. And, ultimately, they lived in seven different places before finally returning home. She then directed her statement to people who remained in Los Angeles. “Shut your windows! If you have central AC, buy filters to replace once a week. You need to protect the inside of your home from all of the nasty s**t (technical term) that’s flying around in the air.” (Rewind to when Robin first met her dad, Robert.)

She remarked that air conditioning filters can turn black quickly from the smoke, and finished off with, “Lastly, if you are reading this and you know someone in need, offer them help. They probably don’t know how to ask and are in shock right now. I love you and I’ll keep doing what I can.” Her GH mom, Finola Hughes (Anna), replied, “Good advice ❤️.” 

READ THIS: Get updates on the Los Angeles Wildfire here.

A kind fan added a piece of advice, responding, “Can I add, if you have time, take LOTS OF PICTURES. Take pics of your appliance (don’t forget your washer, dryer and freezer). It will help if the worst happens. Take pictures of the contents of your garage including tools. Sending every ounce of positivity!” to which McCullough replied, “@kristadawson3059 yes also very good advice thank you!”