Former U.S. Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. said he lost all 10 of his Olympic medals after his home was destroyed in the Palisades fire as the blaze in Los Angeles continued to rage.
Speaking to CNN, Hall said that when they were told to evacuate due to the multiple wildfires in Southern California, he thought he had more time, but found out very quickly he had to get out and save himself rather than gather the medals and other personal belongings.
“I saw the fire charging down the hill and knew that I had to get out of there,” the Olympic swimmer said. “I opened up the back of my SUV, I loaded a painting, one other object. By the time I was going back in from that run, hot embers were raining down from the sky.”
“I knew at that point that I just didn’t have much time,” he added. “I could see the embers hitting the roofs of the houses around me and made that decision:…
