Kevin Smith
is one of the few Hollywood stars to have not lost his home to the devastating wildfires that have brought death and destruction to Los Angeles in the last few days. In an emotional video, the writer/director/actor shared his thoughts and feelings about the “angels” who saved his property and have worked tirelessly to try and bring the many blazes under control – the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Sharing the video on his Instagram account, Smith recalled his evacuation and heaping praise on the “kids” that helped to put out the Sunset Fire in Runyon Canyon “unbelievably fast.” He said:
“Just gonna take this moment to give a big thank you — a huge, hearty thank you — to the LA Fire Department and all the other local ledgers and otherwise,” Smith said. “I heard people came from Oregon and Vegas, whole fire department squads, to put out these LA fires. It was coming over the top of the hill, and as goes Runyon Canyon, so goes Hollywood, because Hollywood is right below us. But those angelic firefighters from heaven, literally, kids, they were in planes. Planes that scooped up water, I guess, from the reservoir and then dumped it on Runyon, just put out that fire unbelievably fast, and I cannot thank you enough.”
Kevin Smith’s Home Was Saved, but Many More Have Been Lost
Smith continued to describe his feelings when he was forced to leave his home, which he did so fully believing that everything he owned would be gone when he was able to return. He said:
“I was like ‘well there goes everything we ever had. As long as we got our lives, our dogs, our kid is safe, you know, whatever.’ But I expected to come home and see a pile of ash. Somebody said angels must be looking over you. They were. They were wearing funny hats and boots and fighting flames.”
The Sunset Fire did not start until Wednesday evening, days after the first fires burned through Pacific Palisades and caused billions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses. An hour after the fire was first reported, it had already destroyed more than 40 acres of land and evacuations of homes in the area had been ordered. However, firefighters were able to mostly control the blaze and by Thursday evening the evacuation order was lifted to allow people to return to the area.
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While Smith has been one of the lucky ones, the number of homes that have been destroyed is now believed to be in excess of 10,000, and the cost of repairs has been estimated to be around $50 billion. High profile stars including Anthony Hopkins, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, Cary Elwes, Miles Teller, and many more have been among those to see their properties – some main residences, others second homes – reduced to ash and charred remains. Various funding pages, local efforts, and charities have been set up in order to help those impacted most, but for many, this will be a loss that money cannot replace.
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