Gary Hall Jr. he thought nothing of the small, fixed-colored cloud he saw in the kitchen of his Pacific Palisades home Tuesday morning.
Then he saw a cloud of smoke in the sky that doubled in one minute.
And he smelled of smoke.
When he saw flames rising from houses in the distance, the former US swimming star knew he had to leave the rented house on Lachman Lane where he lived with his dog, Puddles, and run his business, Sea Monkeys Swimming. , starting in 2020.
“I think part of what made me great as a high-level competitor in sports was the ability to stay really, really calm in tough, stressful situations,” Hall said in a phone interview Thursday from Encinitas, where he lives with his team. sister, Maria Diego.
“And I was like that [on Tuesday] – knows, pragmatic, making decisions and measuring the situation. I saw that this was a disaster and the house was going to burn.”
That house, Hall said, is now gone. More than 5,000 structures were destroyed and 20,000 acres burned in the Palisades fire, one of the largest wildfires to ravage Los Angeles County this week. As of Friday morning, the Palisades fire was 8% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Hall brought only the insulin he needs to treat his Type 1 diabetes, a painting of his grandfather and religious items. He planned to run back inside to retrieve the other 10 prized possessions – five gold, three silver and two bronze medals won in three Olympics (1996, 2000, 2004) – but realized there was no time.
“I was hit by coal the first time I ran,” said Hall. “So I grabbed my dog and some dog food, and that was it.”
He had planned to meet his girlfriend, Lara Pezza, in Palisades Village. But the “panic” and “chaos” he saw soon after he got there made him realize that wasn't a good idea.
“People were running in all directions and the traffic was getting more and more traffic until there was nowhere for them to go,” said Hall. “Parents were very anxious to get their children out of school, they were like driving on the roads, stealing from other cars. It was dangerous – forget fire, people will die at the stake. “
Buildings in Palisades Village were destroyed by the Palisades fire.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Hall and Pezza used their knowledge of local roads to avoid heavy traffic and meet on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. They then drove to her sister's house, where Hall said she was “checking everything that just happened.”
“I think you have a fight-or-flight adrenaline response, so we were wide-eyed and energized for 24 hours,” said Hall, who wrote for The Times during the 2008 and 2010 Olympic Games. “And I think I'm starting to get tired because of that. Today I am completely overwhelmed by the number of people who tried to contact them, heard about the news and came in to make sure I was okay.”
He added: “It's strange for us. So you know, sit down, be quiet for a moment – I'm not there yet. But I'm sure the damage will sink in.”
Another sister, Amy Botha, started raising money online to help Hall get back on his feet. As of Friday afternoon, it had raised nearly $59,000.
“I'm very proud to ask for help, but my worldly possessions right now are the clothes I was wearing and the toothbrush I bought yesterday,” said Hall. “My 10 Olympic medals, everything else I had and my home and business were lost. So you did this GoFundMe thing and with that a lot of people are reaching out. “
US swimmer Gary Hall starts the semifinals of the 50-meter freestyle at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
(Thomas Kienzle/Associated Press)
At 50, Hall said he is preparing to “rebuild” his life.
“There's nothing I can go back to,” he said of Pacific Palisades. “So I have to find a place to live. It's fun living with my sister, but I need to find my own place eventually. And buy underwear, you know, necessities. And restart the business elsewhere. “
As for where he might go to start over, Hall said, “I haven't had time to think about it yet.”
Hall knows many others in similar situations, especially families whose children she has taught to swim in her backyard pool. He said that is “the saddest thing” about the situation.
“Since 2020, I've connected and worked with a lot of families in the area, young children ages 2 to 6 — all removed — and that's the hardest thing for me to think about,” Hall said. “We are talking about hundreds of families that I got to know very well and I made friends with the children.
“That's what blew me away, sending 'paper' messages to people who lost their homes and 4-year-old children trying to wrap their heads around what just happened here. The world they knew has been destroyed.”
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