Hundreds of SoCal wildfire first responders honored at Dodgers Stadium

Firefighters, police officers, and paramedics, some of whom lost their homes in the Southern California wildfires, were honored at a special event at Dodger Stadium for their bravery during the Palisades and Eaton fires. 

Two of the thousands of homes burned in the Eaton Fire last month belonged to the family of Los Angeles firefighter Jake Saucedo. 

"I was off duty. I was unfortunately there to witness the whole thing," Saucedo said. "My family home and my in-laws' both to the Eaton Fire."

Loria Clark, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, also lost her home. She was also off duty when she evacuated her family in Altadena. Her sister Keturah Smith says Clark still went back to work days later. 

"We barely left with everything to come back to ashes," Smith said. "Hurts a lot."

LA County Fire Capt. Eric Eastlund did his best to fight the flames for hours. 

"We got on the fire, itself, 8 p.m. and then we worked until 2 or 3 a.m. the next day nonstop," he said. 

Their stories are similar to those of the thousands of first responders and their families who came to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. 

"We need to say thank you and show our gratitude, not only to the first responders that lost a home, but all the first responders who worked and are still working to keep the city safe," CEO Jillian Crane said. 

Crane runs the First Responders Children's Foundation, which hosted the appreciation event. During the day, dozens of organizations handed out essential supplies. 

The organization was founded 23 years ago after 9/11, when 800 children lost a first responder parent. It has been giving back ever since. Over $160,000 has been distributed to LA first responders, and it is actively fundraising for more.