The hero lost his 60-year home in the devastating fires
He lost his home of 60 years
A community sports hero whose home was destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires has seen more than $800,000 raised for him by locals.
Over the last week, devastating wildfires have ravaged large parts of LA. As of Monday morning, the death toll from the fires stands at 24, with at least another 16 people missing, the BBC reports.
The fires have also destroyed thousands of buildings, with many locals losing their homes and possessions in the blazes.
One of these people is 83-year-old Walt Butler who was forced to evacuate his Altadena property to escape the Eaton fire, one of three fires still active in LA.
When he returned to his property though, he was devastated to find out his home of more than 60 years had been completely ravaged and “everything had gone.”
Speaking to the New York Post, Butler said he was “still trying to assess what really happened.”
He told the publication: “I’m not upset about it, because I am trying to process it, but I will recover. I have three daughters and a son and I helped them all their lives. Now, they’re really stepping it up big time to take care of the Big Guy.
“I am one of those dumb athletes who thinks he can do everything. If you get hit in the gut, you just suck it up. Well, I am sucking it up and standing tall. I will win the race.”
Butler is a local sports hero, who excelled in football and track at Pasadena High School. Nicknames ‘The Jet’, he set the California Interscholastic Federation record in the 120-yard high hurdles, a record he still holds to this day.
Later this year, Butler is set to be inducted into the Pasadena Hall of Fame.
Along with his sporting exploits, he has also set up his own shoe store, along with sponsoring youth sports teams and mentoring kids.
So, when his kids set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Butler, the local community were happy to help – in a huge way.
In the space of just five days, the page has raised $864,000 at the time of writing.
