Kanye West Donates $500,000 to California Wildfire Relief

Kim Kardashian announces the news on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and surprises a firefighter who lost his own home

By Zach Johnson Nov 21, 2018 4:10 PMTags

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's home in Hidden Hills, Calif., is still standing after the Woolsey fire threatened to destroy it earlier this month. The 38-year-old Keeping Up With the Kardashians star gave an update on it—and explained why she hired private firefighters—when she appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Wednesday. "[The fires] got to our gate. Luckily, we had protection and firefighters right there who were helping us to get the fires out," Kardashian said. "We're still not in our home now because the smoke smell is too intense, and we have these machines everywhere trying to blow out the smoke smell. We were lucky; we're blessed."

As the fire ripped through their community, Kardashian's family was forced to evacuate for several days. "Our house is right on the end of a big park, so the whole park had caught fire. If our house went, then every other house would go," she said. "I know not everyone has this luxury available to them, but we were able to get private firefighters—a company you can hire."

Friends of the couple had lost their home in Santa Barbara, and "all their neighbors used this company," Kardashian explained. "They recommended the company, and because of them, they saved our home and saved our neighborhood. I had them make sure they controlled every house on the edge, so it wasn't just my home [where] I said, 'Just take care of our home.' I said, 'Take care of everything, because once they go—once ours starts—the whole neighborhood can go.' I don't take that for granted and that was such a blessing that we were able to do that."

Kardashian announced West, Yeezy and Adidas are donating $200,000 to the California Fire Foundation, as well as $200,000 to the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Relief Fund. "They saved our whole community," the E! reality star said. "We're so grateful to them."

Later in the episode, DeGeneres invited firefighter Mike Williams and his wife to join her and Kardashian on the show, after learning his home in Oak Park, Calif., burned down while he was saving others' properties. "To know that you've lost your home, Kanye, Yeezy and Adidas wanted to donate to you guys $100,000," Kardashian said, "so you guys can pick up the pieces."

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