Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that he will donate $1m to help in relief efforts for those affected by the wildfires raging across Los Angeles.
A new fire broke out just north of two massive blazes that destroyed multiple neighbourhoods in the Los Angeles area earlier this month. Hundreds of families have been displaced by the fires that claimed 28 lives, including former child star Rory Sykes.
The Terminator star took to social media to reveal his $1m pledge would be going to three foundations, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the California Fire Foundation, and the LA chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
He said his fans could help by buying his team’s specially designed T-shirts, the proceeds from which will be going to the same organisations.
“A lot of my fans have asked me how they can help LA,” the former California governor wrote on an Instagram post.
“I’m going to lead the way. I’m sending a million dollars of my own money, split between @lafdfoundation, @cafirefound, and @habitatla. I don’t like when companies or rich people ask their fans to make their donations for them.
“But I know you want to help. So I had my team design a shirt. 100% of the profits will go to those organizations. The shirt might look familiar – it’s based on an LA classic, the knock-off version of me they sell to tourists on the Venice boardwalk, except I can use my image.”
Find all live updates on the California fires here
Stoked initially by strong winds, the fires have destroyed thousands of structures including homes, businesses and vehicles.
Pop stars and Hollywood actors are among the many people whose homes have been lost in what California governor Gavin Newsom described as the worst natural disaster in US history.
Schwarzenegger joins a number of celebrities and companies that have donated to relief efforts. Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyoncé, Eva Longoria, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Christopher Guest, as well as companies like Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, Amazon, and Netflix have all made major donations to different organisations helping with wildfire relief efforts.
The Hughes fire reportedly went from 500 acres to more than 9,000 in just a few hours (REUTERS)
Firefighters are currently contending with the rapidly worsening Hughes Fire, which went from 500 acres to more than 9,000 in just a few hours, and forced nearly 31,000 residents to flee, officials said, with thousands more under evacuation warnings.
Crews on the ground and in the sky attacked the flames, which were spreading over 23 football fields every minute, according to ABC 7. It is zero per cent contained.
