Camille Grammer is no stranger to California wildfires.
It was seven years ago that the Woolsey Fireburned over 96,000 acres destroying 1,643 structures in its path, according to CBS News. Grammer’s home in Malibu was counted among those destroyed due to a lack of water, sounding eerily similar to the fires burning in the Palisades.
The Pacific Palisades fire and lack of water to distinguish it has brought up old memories for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum.
“That’s what happened to my house, and during the Woolsey fire, when the firefighters got to the house, it went to the hydrant and there wasn’t enough water pressure,” Grammer, 56, told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview remembering her home lost in 2018. “So then they couldn’t save the house.”
Grammer remembers speaking with the fire chief who tried to save her home during the Woolsey Fire, “he said, ‘I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do. We just don’t have water pressure.’ And they were very frustrated, and apologized, and they did the best they could.”
Camille Grammer’s Malibu home destroyed in Woolsey Fire.
Clint Brewer / BACKGRID
After discovering there wouldn’t be enough water to save her home, Grammer said firefighters focused on saving belongings such as vehicles and art.
“I didn’t ask for that,” Grammer told PEOPLE. “They just did it themselves, which was really nice, because there’s just, there was just no water pressure to save the house.”
As her neighborhood in the Palisades evacuates, Grammer is reminded of losing her Malibu home, with winds reaching 100 mph.
“I haven’t really been able to sleep well, I keep thinking of my friends that have lost homes,” Grammer said of recent phone calls with loved ones. “My heart is broken over the loss of communities and lives. It’s awful.”
For now, her home is safe, but Grammer knows from experience that could quickly change.
“But again, you never know if the winds kick up again and what direction they turn, just it’s, you know, a wait-and-see game,” Grammer said.
As she’s praying for the winds to slow, Grammer revealed she’s also continuously praying for the safety of L.A.’s fire department.
“These firefighters are amazing,” Grammer told us. “They put their lives on the line all the time to save people and communities and homes, and they’re trying their best under these awful conditions.”
The “infrastructure needs to be rethought, rebuilt. I mean water supply pumps to go to push the water up the hills, because some of these houses are on hills, right? It’s a whole, it’s a mess. It’s really a mess,” Grammer added.
Grammer told us her heart breaks for everyone affected, “It’s just absolutely devastating. And I’ve been getting phone calls and texts from my friends that are going through it now, that are experiencing the shock of losing their homes, and they’re besides themselves.”
While speaking with friends, Grammer said there’s a feeling of hopelessness, “because what can they do?” Having endured the loss of a home before, she finds herself in a unique position to offer encouragement.
“For me, because I’ve gone through it, life is more important than your home,” Grammer continued. “If you’re safe, it’s your life, it’s your health, it’s being safe and sound with your family and your loved ones. Because you can replace material objects, you can rebuild a home or find a new place to live, but a life you can’t replace a life.”
“And it’s really important in times like these, when the neighbors come together and communities come together to help each other out,” Grammer said.
