Actor Steve Guttenberg and approximately 12 of his neighbors "have been fighting the fires single-handedly" in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, his wife, Emily Smith, told Newsmax on Monday.
Guttenberg, best known for his roles in "Three Men and a Baby" and the "Police Academy" franchise, "is essentially trapped up at the house," Smith told Newsmax TV's "National Report."
"He could leave, but if he leaves, he's not getting back. So him and about maybe 12 other neighbors have been fighting the fires single-handedly. … They've been putting out — they don't even have water. They're using pool water," she added.
"They're making hoses out of things that they just have in their garages. They're using laundry detergent. Dish soap apparently puts out fires on railroad ties. They're beating fires with shovels, like they're doing anything they can to save the houses in the neighborhood."
At least 24 people have died in the Los Angeles blazes. The Eaton and Palisades fires are likely the second and fourth most destructive in California history.
Guttenberg's $5 million Pacific Palisades home narrowly avoided the fire that started last Tuesday and tore through his neighborhood.
"Just this morning, I woke up, and I was really conscious of my mental state and my mental health because the last three days, I've seen so much tragedy," the 66-year-old actor told The Associated Press on Friday.
"It's like when someone dies suddenly," he described of the shock. "It's like when someone gets hit by a car. You never expect that to happen. That's how shocking it was."
"There's really a lot of pain going on right now. I'm doing whatever I can to help alleviate it," Guttenberg said of how he's showing up for his community.
Smith told Newsmax its "obviously worrisome to me as Steve's wife" that he's in Los Angeles.
"I am in the South Bay. I'm an hour from the house. And even this morning, someone was looking for him, and they weren't sure if he was OK. And he is. But every day is like that, every minute of the day. I'm just worried about my husband's safety. And then, of course, the aftermath of losing the Palisades and pretty much everything in it.
"They're not taking showers. They have no water. It's crazy. But yeah, I've told him to come home. I'm always like a safety czar. So I don't think he's taking me very seriously in that request."
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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