Some wealthy Los Angeles residents are hiring private firefighters to protect their mansions and businesses as fires ravage neighborhoods.
Individuals are paying firefighters $2,000 an hour for their work, according to the U.S. Sun, but the choice to pay cash has drawn criticism, the newspaper reported. reported Sunday.
WATCH — L.A. Nightmare: Wildfires ravage California suburbs, leaving homes and cars scorched:
The Sun article continued:
Keith Wasserman, co-founder of real estate investment firm Gelt Venture Partners, told The post sparked outrage.
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social media Users criticized Keith, calling him “incredibly tone-deaf” for his calls for help.
Commenter Sam Vance said: “Incredible nerve. family He has been evacuated and is willing to risk his life by hiring a private firefighter to save his home, which he is sure is insured. “Incredibly tone-deaf.”
As thousands of city, county and state firefighters respond to fires, crews of firefighters working with David Torgerson's Wildfire Protection System are dispatched to specific locations to save specific homes. I did. Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
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The crew has their own water supply and fire gel. times The article added that the group “contracts with insurance companies to protect the homes of customers who purchase insurance that includes services.”
But “their presence is not without controversy. Private firefighters hired directly by homeowners have drawn criticism for reinforcing class disparities during disasters,” the newspaper article said.
A number of celebrities have lost their homes in the fires in Los Angeles, and the Associated Press on Thursday named Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton among them.
video footage show More celebrities whose homes were devastated by fire:
According to Breitbart News, actor and director Mel Gibson recently spoke out about the loss of his $14.5 million Malibu home, which was destroyed in a fire.
“But it's obviously emotionally devastating. You know, you've lived there for a long time. And you had all the 'stuff'… George Carlin Remember when we talked about your “stuff”? All my 'stuff' was there, and it's all cinders, so it's like I'm freed from the burden of my stuff,” he said.
Tragically, the death toll from Sunday's wildfires rose to 16, Breitbart News reported.
