On early Monday, a fire erupted on a hillside near the Getty Center museum. Among the many Southern California residents who had to flee their homes was Los Angeles Lakers star, LeBron James. As a way of showing his appreciation to the firefighters and first responders who are battling the Getty Fire, he sent a taco truck to treat them to a warm meal.
“It definitely takes a lot of bravery, a lot of commitment, a lot of sacrifice in any job that you take, but when you’re at the risk of your life any time you’re called upon, it’s a different type of mind state that you have to be in,” James told ESPN. “So it definitely doesn’t go without notice and without appreciation.”
Men flocked to the taco truck parked in the first responders’ base camp, and the moment was captured by Los Angeles city mayor, Eric Garcetti. He tweeted a message of thanks to the basketball star along with two images of people in uniform ordering food.
“Thank you, @KingJames, for generously sending a taco truck to support our @LAFD firefighters, first responders, and partner agencies working to fight the #GettyFire.” he wrote.
As the “very dynamic fire” approached early Monday, James and his family were forced to leave their home in Brentwood, California. Before the Los Angeles Lakers home game on Tuesday night, he told the reporters about the tense moments fleeing his home.
“It’s just challenging at that hour, getting my family, getting my kids, getting everybody and having to evacuate at such a rapid, rapid rate. You don’t really have much time to think about what you can get or what you can do. You just got to get out and get to safety,” he said.
Since Monday, the Getty Fire has burned more than 650 acres and is only 15% contained, according to updates from the Los Angeles Fire Department. There are a total of 7,091 homes in the mandatory evacuation zone. Eight homes have already been destroyed while six were left damaged. The following day, the National Weather Service issued its first-ever extreme red flag warning.
The Getty Fire is just one among the many fires ongoing in the state of California amid a historic wind event. According to the LA County Fire Department, firefighters were battling a 10-acre wildfire called the Oak Fire in Calabasas.
We hope that everyone affected by the wildfires is successfully evacuated out of harm’s way.