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Tori Spelling is sharing how her "mother instinct" kicked in as she and her family evacuated their home amid the devastating fires in Los Angeles.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum recently shared a lengthy post on Instagram, one she said she never wanted to make, detailing the terrifying experience of fleeing the deadly wildfires with her children and their pets, per Page Six.
"days of watching destruction and monitoring and living in fear," she said. "I haven't posted or shared bc social media was saturated. amazing kindness, sorrowful loss, helpful shares, and pleas. I didn't want to be redundant. But, last night we were evacuated. I tried my best to hang in there and not just flee to flee but we had too finally."
Spelling said that "as a mama bear w/5 kiddos & fur babies your gut tells you when it's time to take action" as well as "all the amazing apps and LIVES that have been keeping us updated."
The Scream 2 actress said she and her five children — Liam, 17, Stella, 16, Hattie, 13, Finn, 12, and Beau, 7, who she shares with estranged husband Dean McDermott — left "unplanned" in an SUV alongside three large dogs, a cat and a ferret after putting off evacuating, even as friends had advised her to leave sooner.
"Friends who care, told me for days to pack and have a plan. I should have listened," she said. "I fit us all in barely. No clothes. But grabbed photo albums. And fled."
She continued, "With terrified kids and one w/terrible asthma... I drove. My kids said 'Mom. You sure we should go this way? Freeway is standstill other direction. We are headed right into the fires'. Indeed we were. Mother instinct took over and I pressed on north on 101. As we drove literally thru it and smoke coming thru car vents... I told my children to take a deep breath and hold and put Tshirts over their noses and mouths. I said then 'This is scary but hopeful. We will drive thru it and past it. It will be ok. I promise you all' We pressed on. Leaving behind a burning LA."
Fortunately, Spelling and her family are safe after evacuating to an Airbnb thanks to a new friend who works with the company, admitting in her post that they are "some of the lucky ones" and that her heart is with "everyone who [has] lost and suffered so much."