Tone deaf! Fury after millionaire CEO offers to pay ‘any amount’ for private firefighters to protect his Pacific Palisades mansion while area burns to the ground
A millionaire Los Angeles CEO sparked outrage over a ‘tone deaf’ post in which he asked for help from ‘private firefighters’ to protect his Pacific Palisades mansion, as emergency services rushed to help residents as the area descended into burned to the ground.
Keith Wasserman, co-founder of real estate investment firm Gelt Venture Partners, posted a call for help on X as a massive wildfire swept through the hillside.
“Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades? We need to act quickly here. All the neighbors’ houses are burning. Will pay any amount. Thank you,” he wrote, before receiving criticism from what he called “trolls.”
‘Incredible courage,’ wrote commentator Sam Vance. “His family has been evacuated and he is trying to hire private firefighters to risk their lives to save a house he has definitely insured. Incredibly tone deaf.”
Another one userpast Jacquie, weighed in: “If you find yourself tweeting for private firefighters to protect your property, you should probably ask yourself what you’ve become as a human being.”
User Renny added: “So you’re suggesting that potentially life-saving resources (even if ‘private’) should be used to save your home because you’re rich while tens of thousands of people are trying to evacuate?”
Mr. Wasserman clapped back that he had left “hours ago,” noting that he was just “trying to protect homes.”
The massive fire has already forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, some of whom abandoned their cars and fled on foot to safety as roads were blocked.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said “many structures” have already been “destroyed” in Pacific Palisades. Officials did not provide an exact number but said about 30,000 residents are under evacuation orders and 13,000 buildings are threatened.
Keith Wasserman said he was just “trying to protect homes” amid growing backlash
Mr. Wasserman posted on X after fleeing his own home during a devastating wildfire
Firefighters battle flames from the Palisades Fire that set a house on fire during a powerful storm on January 8
Manish Kapoor wrote: ‘A tone-deaf, public display of ‘wealthy privilege’, at a time of community crisis, is a curious choice, but okay.’
Another one user wrote, “This reminds me of the Morning Show – where the rich man gets crap for hiring people to defend his own house while everyone else’s is burning down.”
James Line shared Wasserman’s post with a screenshot of Titanic, a passenger asking: “Will the lifeboats be seated according to class?”
The post was liked more than 16,000 times.
“This man is being evacuated, he wants someone to save his property instead of poor people’s lives,” wrote another user.
The original post has been viewed more than 900,000 times and received almost 500 comments at the time of writing.
Wasserman went on to joke, “Mom, I’m going viral!”
He later added, “So here are all the trolls! Hello trolls!’
Some expressed their condolences for Wasserman the raging wildfire is burning through more than 2,900 acres of land in Los Angeles at an extraordinary pace.
‘You’re still alive. That’s what you have to concentrate on now,” writes Roxanne Hoge.
“It’s so sad that you pay exorbitant taxes and you have to do this to save your family. I hope someone helps!’ added user Balthazar.
People watch the smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on January 7
At least 30,000 residents are now under mandatory evacuation orders
Some users said they doubted private firefighters even existed in the US.
Private firefighting companies played a key role in fighting vineyard fires in California in 2021.
But authorities were eventually forced to intervene and detained the private firefighters, accusing them of setting dangerous backfires and failing to leave an evacuated area.
Firefighter Ryan Bellanca and his crew denied the allegations but admitted that his team failed to notify Cal Fire, the state’s fire department, that it was in the evacuated area as required by law.
The intense wildfire in a Los Angeles suburb, home to many Hollywood celebrities, has devoured buildings and prompted panicked evacuations since Tuesday as hurricane-force winds swept through the region.
Tankers full of water had been dousing the inferno all afternoon, but all aircraft were later grounded due to deteriorating wind conditions and visibility.
Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the few roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area and fled on foot from the nearly 3,000-acre fire that engulfed an area full of multimillion-dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Firefighters used bulldozers to push dozens of vehicles – including expensive models such as BMWs, Teslas and Mercedes – out of the way, leaving many crumpled and their alarms sounding. Some celebrities posted comments and photos on social media platforms.
Elderly patients are quickly evacuated into emergency vehicles as embers and flames approach during the Eaton fire in Pasadena, California on January 7
Firefighters attempt to extinguish flames as the Eaton Fire burns in Pasadena, California, USA on January 7
Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a house during a powerful storm on January 8
Kristin Crowley, chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, said there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries despite the chaotic evacuation.
Residents of the Pasadena Park Healthcare & Wellness Center were evacuated today as the Eaton Fire spread nearby, KNBC reported.
Velma Wright, 102, was evacuated from a health care facility as embers and flames approached in Pasadena, an AFP photographer saw.
Actor James Woods posted a video to
‘I couldn’t believe our beautiful little house in the hills had lasted so long. It feels like losing a loved one,” Woods said.
The exact cause of the fire remains unknown, officials said.