Filmmaker Kevin Smith took to Instagram this week to thank the firefighters for their quick response to the Sunset Fire that engulfed some of Runyan Canyon, and saved his home in the process.
What did Kevin Smith say in his video?
In a video overlooking the Canyon, Smith praised the firefighters — who he called “angels” — for their quick reaction to the fire. He recounted how, prior to his evacuation from his home, there was a “wall of flame” on top of Runyan Canyon; the canyon leads into Hollywood.
“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.”
After leaving his home as the fires raged, Smith said he thought that his home would not make it through the fires, and had already envisioned that he would return to nothing when he went back.
“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,” said Smith. “Somebody said angels must be looking over you,” Smith continued. “They were. They were wearing funny hats and boots and fighting flames.”
The Sunset Fire was first reported at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday night near Wattles Park in Los Angeles, and an hour later, had already burned over 40 acres of vegetation. Firefighters were able to contain the fire within 24 hours, and by Thursday, all evacuation orders for the area had been lifted, with firefighters still tending to any possible flare-ups in the area.
The wildfires that have been raging in Los Angeles this past week have already been deemed the costliest wildfires in United States history, with many estimates noting that over $150 billion in economic losses will come from the damages. As many as 10,000 structures were destroyed between the various fires, many of which came from the coastal Palisades Fire, which ravaged over 20,000 acres and nearly fully destroyed the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
In an effort to help those affected by the fires, various charities have set up direct methods to providing relief, including the Red Cross, the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Emergency Network Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and many more.
