Ajay Rochester’s son hailed a hero as he bravely fights the flames on the frontline of the Hollywood wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles
EXCLUSIVE
The son of an Australian TV presenter is being hailed a hero as he risks his life for strangers during the raging fires devastating Los Angeles.
Kai Rochester, 25, the son of former Australia’s Biggest Loser host Ajay Rochester, has been working with firefighters around the clock for five days in a row.
The private security guard is often armed with just a garden hose as he fights out-of-control fires and guides residents to safety.
But despite fresh warnings to locals to brace for 72 hours of hell, he has told his terrified mother: ‘I’m not leaving until they no longer need me.’
While his TV star mother is proud of her son’s bravery on the front lines of the fires, she admits she feared for his safety as he battled the blazes through the night, often alone.
“I haven’t slept a wink with worry, it’s crazy,” Ajay Rochester told Daily Mail Australia. ‘It’s really crazy.
Kai Rochester moved to America in 2023 hoping to get a job in TV, just like mother Ajay Rochester
After the Hollywood writers’ strike, he changed careers and became a private security guard hired when the fires gripped LA.
TV star Ajay has started an Amazon Wish List for donations after a firefighter fed her son when he had no food
‘When I fall asleep I have nightmares about him and wake up. You have to see it to believe it.
‘The steam rising from the ground, it looks like a bomb has gone off, everything is covered in ash.
“He came home exhausted after the first 32 hours, slept for a few hours and went back.”
She revealed how Mr. Rochester’s regular shift patrolling the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 8 suddenly turned into a terrifying life-or-death situation.
The fires had broken out hours earlier in the famous suburb where Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Tom Hanks, Reece Witherspoon and Adam Sandler, all have homes.
“We both thought it was a normal service that caught fire everywhere,” Ajay said.
“Kai is trained and armed, so he wanted to stay and protect homes from looters, but he ended up helping the police and firefighters.
“He is receiving calls and messages from homeowners thanking him after they saw him on their security cameras using their garden hoses and pool water to save their homes.
Kai Rochester receives messages from homeowners thanking him
Mr Rochester kept his worried mother informed via text during his grueling shifts, which lasted up to 32 hours
Fires broke out in Pacific Palisades and spread while Kai Rochester was working as a private security guard
“He’s done everything from keeping people safe to feeding pets to securing homes from looters.”
Mr Rochester, who worked as a television editor on the innovative Australian show The Block, moved to America in 2023 in the hope of getting work in the TV industry.
But after the writers’ strikes in Hollywood affected work through 2024 and put many shows on hold, he decided to change careers.
“He’s watched me chase one check after another all his life,” Ajay said.
‘He was the boy who only had one pair of shoes at school and even now he knows I still live like that.
“So he decided he wanted more stability and I respect him for that. 2024 was the worst year ever in our industry, everyone said survive until 2025 and what now?
“The city has burned down.”
Ajay said her son was not required to continue his services when the fire threat swept the city and she now sees him in a new light.
“Your children will always be your babies and you continue to worry, but after all this I now realize that he has become a man,” she said.
“And I am so proud of the kind and brave man he has become.”
Video footage captured by Kai shows the infernos he fights armed with only a garden hose
As destruction grew in the affluent neighborhood, Kai Rochester began working with firefighters after defying evacuation orders to stay behind to protect homes.
Ajay said Kai (pictured together) was not required to continue his services when the fire threat swept the city and she now sees her son in a new light
Ajay, who has not had to evacuate her home but is on high alert, has now set up an alarm system Amazon Wishlist to donate essential items to emergency services on the frontline.
“Kai didn’t even bring food that first day because he thought he could grab something at lunch,” she revealed.
“But by then everything had burned down. A firefighter gave him a granola bar and that’s all he ate in 32 hours.
‘I am now collecting donations of essential items such as food and eye drops and delivering them to first responders on the front line.’