Nonprofit donates $10,000 to LA County Fire Captain who lost home during Palisades Fire
With growing panic in his voice, Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Alek Edwards watched as the Palisades Fire moved closer to his Tahitian Terrace mobile home park on Jan. 7.
"This was like no fire ever seen before," he said
Edwards, a 13-year veteran with the department, was off duty when the fire started. He evacuated his family, including his 4-year-old daughter, but he stayed behind with some neighbors to try and save their homes.
"We tried to save my home and my neighbor's home but it got to a point where all of the homes were exploding in fire," Edwards said.
Even with help from Cal Fire and the Los Angeles Fire Department, the flames forced Edwards to leave behind everything they had fought so hard to build over the last six years.
"We lost stuff, but we also lost a future we saw for ourselves," he said.
His family is now renting a tiny apartment down the street from his parents' house in Santa Monica as they rebuild.
In financial hardship during the weeks following the deadly Palisades Fire, the First Responder Children's Foundation came to Edward's doorstep to hand him a check for $10,000.
"We have a very instead financial future ahead of us," Edwards said. "This is definitely going to help a lot."
Jillian Crane, the President and CEO of the nonprofit, said the foundation has handed out more than $160,000 to LA's first responders impacted by the wildfires through the help of donors, including Servpro.
Actor Morris Chestnut joined the nonprofit to hand over the check to Edwards.
"I know people personally, relatives and close friends, who lost their homes and everything," Chestnut said. "It means a great deal for me to be here and support first responders."
