US Olympic Medalist Loses Valuable Property In California Wildfire

One of the Olympic gold medalists, Gary Hall Jr. was among the thousands of California residents displaced by the wildfires raging across the Los Angeles area this week, and like many, he lost all of his priceless possessions, including all 10 of his Olympic medals.

While narrating the incident an interview with newsmen, Hall said he was grateful to have walked away with his life.

Thousands of California residents were evacuated as fierce wildfires fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds tore through Southern California this week.

At least five people are dead as the fires continued to burn more than 27,000 acres on Thursday.

He recalled the moment he first saw a “plume of smoke” coming from his backyard while on the phone with his daughter when disaster struck.

“I saw the flames erupt and houses start popping. There were explosions. I didn’t have a lot of time,” he recalled in the interview. “Sunset Boulevard was a complete logjam. People abandoned cars and were running for their lives. Police were telling them to do that. My girlfriend was trapped in her car around smoke.”

The wildfires spread quickly. Hall only had time to grab the essentials which also included his dog and a few personal items.

The home in Pacific Palisades that he was renting was burnt down, and with it all of his Olympic medals, including five gold, three silver and two bronze.