(NewsNation) — Matt Wilmont filmed scenes of the Palisades wildfire from his motorcycle while attempting to get to a friend’s house to check on the dwelling and his pets.

Wilmont told NewsNation that he’s never seen anything like this in his life, though he has been through several fires in Malibu.

“I’ve never ever, ever seen a fire like this in Los Angeles in my lifetime and I honestly don’t think ever, because before my lifetime it was all orange groves and there was no population in the Valley and Hollywood was a fraction of what it is now because of development,” he said.

Having grown up in Pacific Palisades, Wilmont says many landmarks dear to his heart have burned down, including Palisades High School. He wasn’t able to reach the home but said thinks it may have made it.

“It was apocalyptic,” he said, “I’ve seen these fires. They’re never at this level of heat, at this level of smoke, never ever at this level of wind in such a population area.”