It’s a case of coincidental bad timing.

As wildfires threaten the lives and homes of thousands of Los Angeles residents, the daytime drama General Hospital had to issue a disclaimer before their Wednesday episode warning viewers that that day’s content was potentially triggering.

The episode featured the character of Michael Corinthos (Chad Duell), the son of General Hospital long-timers Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Carly (Laura Wright), trapped in a penthouse as a fire engulfed the space. Wednesday’s episode was pre-empted from airing Tuesday due to the live broadcast of President Jimmy Carter’s funeral.

The disclaimer reads, “Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the fires currently raging in Los Angeles County, In light of current events, today’s episode of General Hospital (and several that follow) may prove too difficult to watch for some. Please keep this in consideration prior to tuning in. Thank you for your undestanding.”

Fan reaction to the post was less than understanding, though – and not just because of the timing. User pross54 wrote, “This storyline, regardless of todays horrific headlines in California, is an absolute disgrace. For most of us, GH has always been a respite for our everyday lives. Now my go to show is nothing but tragedy. This storyline in particular has upset me so that I’m considering not watching anymore. I have watched for 40 plus years and I am speechless. Do yourself a favor and be a shining light for people. We all need it.”

User birdiemay56 agreed, saying “Maybe you should re-think your morbid depressing storyline. People watch to escape for an hour. Your writing is just depressing.”

General Hospital actor Cameron Mathison was one of many people who have lost their homes in the fire, which has laid waste to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. Multiple fires are now burning, and extremely high winds are causing the fires to spread quickly and are hindering efforts to put them out.

L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone revealed at a press conference that an estimated 1,000 structures had been affected by the fire. There was also a “high number of people who didn’t evacuate” who suffered serious injuries, he said. Several people have lost their lives, as well.

The wildfire, now one of the most destructive in the city’s history, started as a small brush fire around 10:30am Tuesday. Evacuations have been ordered for the entire Pacific Palisades area, which includes the Santa Monica and Calabasas areas. Though the 80-100 mile and hour winds have gone down to 50-60 miles an hour, the National Weather Service issued a warning that winds could pick up again Thursday.

Another fire broke out east of Los Angeles, in Eaton Canyon near Pasadena, where local authorities are also forcing evacuations.

For now, however, airports and major airlines in heavily populated Southern California reported only slight disruptions from normal operating schedules on Wednesday afternoon.