10-time Olympic medalist Gary Hall, Jr. has posted a video walking through the aftermath of his house burning down in the ongoing wildfires hitting Southern California.
Hall, Jr., 50, was forced to evacuate quickly on January 7 with his dog, Puddles, insulin to treat his Type I Diabetes, a painting of his grandfather, and a painting of the ‘Blessed Mary’ given to him by his daughter.
Everything else, including family heirlooms and his 10 Olympic medals, are presumed lost when the fire reached his home.
There is not much recognizable from what was once a house. The chimney is still standing, and there is a burned out shell of a Volkswagon bus. A pool can also be seen on the property. Otherwise, the site is a pile of burned rubble.
The Pacific Palisades fire flared overnight on Saturday, leading to a fresh round of evacuations. In all, fires across Los Angeles have burned at least 5,000 structures, killed at least 16, and burned at least 37,000 acres. More than 12,000 structures remain under threat and more than 100,000 people have been displaced.
Hall was using the home he was renting to teach swim lessons to kids in the area through his business, Sea Monkeys Swimming. He was able to get a hotel for him and his dog, and is now staying with family in San Diego.
A GoFundMe was created to support him and help him recover from the loss of his home and his business. The fund has currently raised $5,900 of his $10,000 goal.
Hall, Jr. won 10 Olympic medals between 1996-2004, winning back-to-back titles in the 50m freestyle in 2000 and 2004. He was also a crucial member of United States relays and helped them to three golds (1996: 4×100 free, 4×100 medley; 2000 4×100 medley), a silver (2000: 4×100 free), and a bronze (2004: 4×100 free). His other medals were two silvers (1996: 50 and 100 free; 2000) and a bronze (2000: 100 free).
