Passengers at O’Hare Airport in Chicago arriving from LAX worry about the situation they might find when they get back to California due to the fires.

CHICAGO (WLS) — The impact of the California wildfires has been felt nationwide, including by many people with Chicago ties.

ABC7 has talked with passengers arrived at O’Hare airport from Los Angeles as well as Chicago-area natives now living in the fire zone.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

“I’m just praying for them quite a bit and hoping for the best and hoping the winds die down,” Jeff Korey said.

Jeff Korey resides in the Chicagoland vicinity. He has been constantly on the phone seeking updates from his relatives who reside in Simi Valley, just north of Los Angeles. According to Korey, they have not been required to evacuate yet, but are ready to do so if necessary.

Expressing his concern, Korey mentioned, “They are quite anxious, much like myself. My aunt mentioned they are safe, but due to the lack of Internet connection, it is challenging for her to communicate with me. It seems her daughters are also secure, although they are experiencing heavy smoke in their location.”

At O’Hare, passengers arrived from LA, fearing what they might return home to.

Bill Grant from Orange County admitted, “We were almost deterred from coming here due to the wildfires. Nevertheless, we plan to head back in approximately four days, hoping that everything will remain untouched since our departure.”

They describe a harrowing drive just to get to LAX with flames off in the distance and thick smoke all around as their planes took off.

“It was so windy there was no power in some of the spots we were in, it almost felt like an old midwestern movie,” Olivia Swindell, who lives in California, said. “Dark and gloomy… There’s no life to LA”

People said they are regularly checking in on family and friends in the fire zone, but conditions change by the minute.