Actor Steve Guttenberg Helps First Responders in L.A. Fires
As wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles and surrounding areas, actor Steve Guttenberg to those putting themselves on the frontlines. Guttenberg, known for his roles in Police Academy and Short Circuit, among others, has been actively working to try and clear abandoned cars while people were trying to evacuate, he previously told LA’s KTLA. He later told CNN he hasn’t “seen anything like this in my entire life and I don’t think many people have. At 9 o’clock in the morning, it was an idyllic Pacific Palisades, and then by 10 o’clock, 10:30, the sky was dark as if it were a nightmare.”
He said he was trying to get home when he was met with “bumper-to-bumper traffic,” so he got out of his car to help. “There were mothers who were hysterical [having] panic attacks, helping them with their suitcases, and they were worried about their families up there because they couldn’t get them out in time,” Guttenberg explained. “There were little kids crying. There were people who couldn’t speak English, driving their friend’s cars or their boss’s cars and being careful where they drove.”
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The Three Men and a Baby star admitted that once people were told to evacuate on foot since the fire got so close, he spent the entire day trying to move abandoned cars in order for firetrucks to get through. “This is the most unbelievable fire I’ve ever seen,” he stated.
Many celebrities have been affected by the wildfires as well as thousands of other residents. Along with homes burning down, buildings have suffered loss, including some iconic filming locations such as the mansion from Hacks and Palisades Charter High School, which was seen in Carrie, Freaky Friday, Havoc, and Teen Wolf. Evacuation orders are still in place as at least five different fires continue to burn across LA County.
Guttenberg is not the only one lending a helping hand in the midst of the fires. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have reportedly opened their Montecito home to friends and loved ones affected by the wildfires since they’re located an hour outside of the city. After he and his pregnant wife lost their home to the wildfires, This Is Us star Milo Ventimiglia has turned his interests to wildfire safety, telling CBS News he was already thinking about ways to help his community and others, also urging federal and state agencies to provide resources and financial assistance.
“So, I’m hoping FEMA can step in so we can rebuild,” Ventimiglia said. “And when we do rebuild, rebuild with the awareness of it happening and how do we set up our communities…and our homes, and our neighborhoods, so that, well, maybe there’s less loss.”
