The four-day Los Angeles wildfire carnage is still raging and wreaking havoc. Sweeping through the Southern California region, the destructive fires have destroyed many belongings, including over 12,000 homes and buildings. And shockingly, Olympic gold medalist Gary Hall Jr.’s home is also on that somber list. The legendary Olympian grew up in Arizona and lived in a rented property at the Pacific Palisades, California.
In an absolute nightmare, the 10x Olympic champion witnessed his entire house being reduced to ashes. What’s more heartbreaking is the fact that the Olympian lost all his 10 medals in the raging fire. Devastated by the loss, Gary Hall Jr. provided a major update on the aftereffects of the wrath. Posting a video on his Instagram account dated January 10, 2025, Hall Jr. showed his fans how his entire house is now nothing but a pile of ashes.
Captioning the video, the legendary swimmer wrote, “Having love is more important than having things. All worldly possessions are gone. Home is gone. Business is gone. The support from the community is so appreciated. Thank you to all who have generously contributed to the GoFundMe campaign to help me get back on my feet. Link in bio.”
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In a report from ’AZCentral’ dated January 10, 2025, a more detailed picture of the situation was depicted. The rapid manner in which the fire spread gave the swimmer no precautions to save his expensive belongings. However, despite the rush, Hall Jr. managed to grab his pet dog and a few of his other personal items and rushed out of the house before it got engulfed in the fire. Making the evacuation even tougher, there was a huge traffic jam as panic-stricken people from the area tried to get out of harm’s way as soon as possible.
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With the latest reports emerging, more than 10 thousand people have been forced to evacuate their homes in South California alone. Add to that at least a thousand structures being burned, making the Palisades fire the most destructive in the entire history of Los Angeles County. Reflecting on his heartbreaking experience, Gary Hall Jr. narrated to the Sydney Morning Herald, “It was worse than any apocalypse movie you’ve ever seen and 1,000 times worse.”
Meanwhile, support has been announced by several organizations for the ones impacted by the fire. For instance, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee has vowed to stand behind the athletes who are severely impacted by the Palisades wildfire. Moreover, USA Swimming has also spoken about setting up Disaster Relief Grants that will be available for affected team members to use. Meanwhile, looking for a new start, Gary Hall Jr. and his family have provided some important updates regarding what’s next.
Gary Hall Jr. suffered a loss worth $1 million and 10 Olympic medals
Swimming legend Gary Hall Jr. barely had time to grab a few essentials before fleeing his Southern California home as it went up in flames. The loss? A gut-punching $1 million. For context, homes in the Palisades area usually go for $750,000 to $800,000—so yeah, this one was gut-wrenching. The 10X Olympic medalist shared with the Sydney Morning Herald, “It’s tough. It’s a big loss … and everything I own.”
Among the ashes are Hall’s most treasured possessions: 10 Olympic medals, including five golds, from Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, and Athens 2004. There’s also the silver he snagged with Team USA’s 4x100m freestyle relay in Sydney. Add to that his world championship hardware and a lifetime’s worth of swimming memorabilia—gone.
Hall Jr. admitted, “I did think about the medals. I did not have time to get them. Everyone wants to know did the medals burn? Yeah, everything burnt. It’s something I can live without. I guess everything is just stuff. It’ll take some hard work to start over. What can you do?” Having lost everything in the fire, the swimmer’s son, Charlie Hill, asked the community to come forward and help them with donations.
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Thankfully, his prayers were answered in no time. With 287 generous donations to the GoFundMe campaign, the total cash accumulated was said to be $53,068. And despite the amount being far less than the loss he has incurred, Hall Jr. remains ever so grateful for the same. Taking to GoFundMe, the Olympic champion stated, “As much as I am overwhelmed by the loss of all worldly possessions, home and business, I am overwhelmed by the love and support of so many reaching out through this difficult time.”
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He also extended his heartwarming condolences to all the families that were affected by the fire by himself. After all, having lived in the area for so long, the 10x Olympic champion has developed a deep connection with the place. Hall Jr. said, “My heart goes out to the countless victims of the fire. Through my learn to swim business, Sea Monkeys Swimming, I know and love so many families in this devastated community. There are no words to express how broken my heart is for them. This gets me more than any personal loss.”
Right now, Hall is focused on finding a new place to call home and has made it clear he’s not sticking around to wait for the Palisades to bounce back. With the fire already leaving a trail of devastation, the full scope of the loss is bound to hit even harder once everything’s tallied up.
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