Flames don’t distinguish between modest suburban developments and lavish mansions. At least three wildfires were raging across Greater Los Angeles as of Wednesday morning and firefighters are struggling to contain the blazes due to winds reaching 60 miles per hour. Steve Guttenberg, star of the Police Academy movies, lent a hand to clear abandoned cars blocking fire trucks from even reaching the wildfires.
One of the worst fires in the Pacific Palisades has burned more than 2,900 acres and destroyed over 1,000 structures, according to NPR. The Palisades fire, fueled by Santa Ana winds, still hasn’t been contained by firefighters. With residents attempting to evacuate at once, traffic on some vital roads has jammed to a standstill. Some drivers decided to abandon their cars in traffic and flee on foot, making traffic even worse.
Guttenberg and other volunteers began moving cars off Palisades Drive, clearing a path for evacuees to get out and firefighters to get in. He even spoke to a KTLA reporter Gene Kang to advise the public to leave their keys in their abandoned vehicles. Gutenberg said:
“What’s happening is people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars. If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there. It’s really, really important.”
Kang interrupted, “You’re an actor?” It took a moment for the reporter to recognize who he was talking to. The hat and the smoke probably caused the confusion, not because it had been 38 years since Police Academy 4.
Gutenberg was concerned about his friends being unable to evacuate because of the traffic. He emphasized that the safety of your loved ones is far more important than personal property. While the ongoing outbreak of wildfires seems to be brush fires, previous wildfires have been directly caused by the carelessness of others. Last year, a man sparked a 36-acre wildfire in Northern California by driving a truck over four miles without a tire.
