Californias evacuees agonized over when to leave and what to take. These are the items they grabbed and left behind | National & World [Video]

(CNN) — A vintage green-leather Rolex watch case. An Alekos Fassianos painting. A hard drive and albums with family photos. Phone chargers and laptops. Medications and passports, of course. Some clothes. Most importantly, the pets.

As Santa Ana winds propelled a series of raging wildfires that wiped out homes and businesses across once-picturesque swaths of Southern California – killing at least 11 people – tens of thousands have been forced from their homes this week in a haze of uncertainty: What to pack? How long will they be gone? What will they return to?

Destruction on their doorstep, evacuees like Maryam Zar grabbed what they could in their final whirlwind moments at home.

“You’re just kind of on autopilot,” said Zar, former chair of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, who knew her hillside California neighborhood has long been vulnerable to wildfires. “In my head I had sort of thought it through. So I ran through the house pretty quickly and gathered it …