Metallica’s All Within My Hands (AWMH) has donated $500,000 to support relief efforts for the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. The funds will be split equally between the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Canyon Fire Relief And Recovery Fund.
Metallica issued the following statement:
“Our All Within My Hands Foundation is granting $500,000 to relief efforts carried out by the California Community Foundation‘s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the Pasadena Community Foundation‘s Community Foundation’s Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund.
In the past week, the community has suffered at least 24 lives lost, nearly 100,000 people under evacuation orders, 40,000 acres burned, and more than 12,000 structures—commercial and residential—destroyed. However, numbers cannot articulate the magnitude of anguish as the disaster upends families and dismantles livelihoods.
Learn more and join us in lending support metallica.lnk.to/LA-Fire-Relief.”
Since January 7, the wildfires have claimed 24 lives, displaced nearly 100,000 people, burned 40,000 acres, and destroyed over 12,000 structures. Despite containment progress, officials warn of worsening conditions due to strong Santa Ana winds, which could reach 70 mph. Reuters reports California Governor Gavin Newsom stated the current firestorm could become one of U.S. history’s most devastating natural disasters. It is already the most expensive wildfire in terms of insured losses. Preliminary estimates from private forecaster AccuWeather project total damages and economic losses between $135 billion and $150 billion, though this would still fall short of the $225 billion in losses caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005.
