LA wildfires ‘sheer hell’ – British actor prepares meals to support firefighters
Craig Robert Young left his home in Los Angeles after a series of wildfires ravaged parts of California.
A British actor living in Los Angeles described the devastating wildfires in southern California as “sheer hell”, and has been volunteering to “give back” to the firefighters.
Craig Robert Young, 51, who is from Nottingham in the East Midlands and has lived in Los Angeles for 25 years, was evacuated last week after the Sunset fire broke out near his home in Beechwood Canyon, beneath the Hollywood sign.
At least 25 people have been killed and thousands of homes and businesses destroyed in a series of wildfires that started in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday January 7.
Mr Young described the past week as “dystopian”, after seeing the red and orange flames light up the skies of LA.
“It’s just been a week of sort of sheer hell, to be honest,” he told the PA news agency.
“Very exhausting, I think, for everybody involved, whether you are directly impacted by the fires or just living in this area.
“It’s been a really weird, dystopian week and terrifying.”
Mr Young left his home last Wednesday was “stuck in gridlock traffic for 40 minutes”.
“It was like something out of a movie. It really was. We eventually got out and we’re fortunate enough to have a home in Palm Springs,” he said.
The actor, who played Charlie Chaplin in Oscar-nominated film Mank, starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried, is volunteering to “give back and just do what we can”, praised the firefighters for going “above and beyond” to help those affected.
“The fact that these (firefighters) are out there working 24-hour shifts to put these fires out, and the preparedness that they have, it’s incredible really,” he said.
“I know it’s their job, but they do go above and beyond, and all those volunteer firefighters that are retired and stepped in to help to put out this monstrous flame.”
Mr Young, who was in pop band Deuce in the 1990s, is volunteering at Project Angel Food, which he said is supplying 3,000 meals for firefighters and people who have been displaced.
He is one of about 50 people preparing food to be taken to various sites across the city.
“It’s incredibly sad that people are going through this and you just want to be of service. You want to help, but it’s just hard,” Mr Young said.
“We’re not seeing the victims of the fires face to face, we’re just in the back, but the camaraderie of the people that are volunteering is going to be great. I think that you just feel some sense of worth.
The actor described the community in LA as “amazing” for rallying together to help those in most need.
“I think that everybody in Los Angeles is galvanised and is supportive,” he said.
“LA gets a bad rap for being vapid or fake, but this has really brought people together and shown how amazing this community of LA is.
“Everybody is doing everything that they can, whether it’s making donations to GoFundMe, or volunteering, to reaching out to those that they know.
“I would say probably everybody in LA knows at least one person that’s affected by this.”
In 2008, Mr Young set up a Facebook group called Brits in LA, which has more than 18,000 members, to create a sense of community for Britons to socialise with each other.
“I would ask everybody, what is it you miss most about home? And it is that sense of community,” he said.
“It’s that sense of fun banter and we all understand each other so well.”
He has praised Britons for sharing supportive messages and donating money to various fundraisers to help the LA community.
“I just want to thank everybody for their kindness during this time and understanding, and to those that even from (Britain) are sending money to GoFundMe,” he said.
