Dennis Quaid shared the emotional toll of the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles neighborhoods, revealing that many of his friends have lost their homes in the ongoing disaster.
Quaid was stopped by NBC4 Los Angeles on Friday while evacuating his Brentwood home.
While reflecting on the devastation, he praised first responders and shared his personal experience of the unfolding crisis.
In regards to this, The Parent Trap actor recounted, “I woke up to a plume of smoke on Tuesday. The blaze came within 150 yards of the house, but these guys with their planes came down and put retardant on it. Those helicopter pilots are incredible. I can’t say enough about the firefighters and first responders in this town. We’ve got some good ones—good people here.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Quaid, his wife Laura Savoie, and their children have been fortunate to escape unscathed, but the actor expressed deep empathy for those less fortunate.
Moreover, he said with a shaky voice, “I have so many friends who’ve lost their homes. My agent lost both of his houses, and another good friend in the Palisades lost two homes he owned—one he had just moved into.”
Additionally, The Substance actor pondered the emotional weight of rebuilding after such devastation by saying, “You start thinking about how long it takes to put a house together, and then you can’t really hold it in your mind.”
As per the publication, when asked about Hollywood’s role in recovery efforts, Quaid emphasized the sense of community that emerges during such crises.
In this regard, he said, “It’s all of us—businesses, dry cleaners, grocery stores, gardeners, construction workers, gas stations. We’re all Hollywood. It’s a great community when we come together, and I know we can do it.”
He added, “We’re fighting as hard as we can to save our city. Gosh, I never thought I’d say that. But that’s what’s going on.”
For the unversed, the wildfires, which began in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, have since spread to Malibu and Santa Monica, leaving thousands of homes, businesses, and buildings in ruins.
