A millionaire Los Angeles CEO Keith Wasserman’s social media post on Wednesday asking for “private firefighters\” as a bid to protect his luxury home from the Palisades wildfire has sparked fury online among netizens.
Does anyone have private firefighters who could protect our home in Pacific Palisades? We need to act fast. All our neighbors’ houses are burning. I will pay any amount. Thank you, he wrote on X. His message also raised concerns about “resource” hogging at a time of crisis.
Firefighters fought early Thursday to gain control of a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people and devastated communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena. They sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.
Ferocious winds that drove the flames and led to chaotic evacuations have calmed somewhat and were not expected to be as powerful during the day. That could allow firefighters to make progress reining in blazes that have hopscotched across the sprawling region, including massive ones in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
So you’re suggesting that potentially lifesaving resources (even if ‘private’) should be diverted to save your house because you’re rich. At the same time, tens of thousands of people are trying to evacuate,” wrote another user.
Wasserman later deleted the post (which had garnered more than 900,000 views by then) and called his critics trolls. “Mama, I’m going viral!” he wrote in reaction.
