As major fires rage in Los Angeles County, destroying more than 10,000 structures, leaving multiple people dead and causing tens of billions of dollars worth of damage, studios are mobilizing their own response efforts.
The Burbank-based Disney said on Friday that it would be committing $15 million to various relief efforts. Those funds would be earmarked for the American Red Cross, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and other organizations.
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“As this tragedy continues to unfold, The Walt Disney Company is committed to supporting our community and our employees as we all work together to recover and rebuild from this unbelievable devastation,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger. “Walt Disney came to Los Angeles with little more than his limitless imagination, and it was here that he chose to make his home, pursue his dreams, and create extraordinary storytelling that means so much to so many people around the world. We are proud to provide assistance to this resilient and vibrant community in this moment of need.”
The same hour, Paramount Global’s co-chiefs, Brian Robbins, Chris McCarthy and George Cheeks, wrote a memo to staff that stated the company would donate $1 million to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, Red Cross, Direct Relief, World Central Kitchen and Best Friends Animal Society.
“As major wildfires continue to erupt across parts of Los Angeles — causing massive devastation to families, homes and communities — our hearts are with everyone affected by this tragedy, particularly those who have been displaced or lost their homes,” wrote the Paramount chiefs. “And we remain committed to supporting our employees who have been impacted during this incredibly difficult time.”
The execs noted, “CBS will also start driving donations to the Red Cross, and a Red Cross PSA will begin rolling out across the network today. One of our local stations, KCAL, has already raised over $300K for relief efforts. Additionally, our Paramount Pictures and CBS teams have started donating meals to first responders, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show is driving donations to the California Fire Foundation and BET has provided coverage of the devastating impact of the fires on the historic Black community in Altadena.”
As of Friday, the Palisades Fire has burned more than 21,000 acres while the Eaton Fire in Altadena has reached more than 13,000 acres. The scale of the destruction is only just beginning to be accounted for. On Jan. 9, media firm AccuWeather estimated the economic loss from the fires to be between $52 billion and $57 billion. A day later, the firm revised up its estimate to $135 billion to $150 billion.
Federal dollars are also expected to flow into the county, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency mobilizing assistance for impacted Angelenos following a declaration of a major disaster by the Biden administration on Jan. 8 a day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and pledged resources to impacted communities.
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