As the wildfires rage on in the Los Angeles, California area, a former Chicago mayor is sharing her personal connection to the tragedy. Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot took to social media Thursday,

Apocalyptic scenes have been left behind in the Los Angeles area as fires continue to decimate neighborhoods—and many people from the Chicago area are among those directly affected. The fires have scorched more than 45 square miles of the Los Angeles area—leaving total devastation behind.

"For those of us who are not physically there, we’re still trying to wrap our minds around that this really happened," Lightfoot told the Sun-Times Thursday. "It’s just so incredibly surreal."

The devastation is personal for former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot. She told NBC Chicago her aunt and uncle, who are in their nineties live in Altadena. They made it out safely,