Olympic medalist Gary Hall Jr. from Arizona recounts escape from LA wildfire: ‘It was mayhem’

PHOENIX — Mere minutes separated Olympic gold medalist Gary Hall Jr. seeing smoke from the Palisades Fire and escaping his home with his dog and a few possessions before the rest went up in flames.

Hall, who attended Brophy Prep in Phoenix, said his California home was located less than a mile away from where the Palisades Fire started.

“It’s a tough thing,” Hall told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce and Gaydos on Thursday. “All worldly possessions, my home and my business gone up in smoke, like that. One day everything’s fine and the next it’s gone.”

It’s already considered the most destructive fire in Los Angeles’ history. Dozens of blocks have been flattened to smoldering rubble as a result, leaving only the outlines of homes and their chimneys.

“I’ve seen fires before. … But this plume of smoke was going directly over my roof,” Hall recounted. “We had already been told winds were blowing 60-100 mph that day. I saw that plume of smoke double in size in less than a minute, and in another minute, I saw flames at the top of the hill engulfing houses and charging down the hill toward my home.”

The next steps involved grabbing the most prized possessions Hall could think of — a painting of his grandfather and a religious heirloom passed down to his daughter — with plans to fill a car’s worth, but ambers from the fire started to reach him by the next time he came out.

In the rush, he prioritized insulin for his Type 1 diabetes over bringing his Olympic medals, which were lost in the blaze. Hall had won 10 Olympic medals between 1996-2004 as an American swimmer, including five golds. He was inducted to the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission Hall of Fame in 2018.

"I saw that plume of smoke double in size in less than a minute."

Olympic Gold Medalist @garyhalljr joined @TheBruceStJames & @GaydosKTAR and shared the story of his harrowing escape from the Palisades wildfire.

WATCH: https://t.co/9qWlukuUW9 pic.twitter.com/NvnuGlqyS9

— Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on KTAR News 92.3 (@OutspokenKTAR) January 9, 2025

Gary Hall Jr.: Local reaction to fire ‘spiraled into mayhem’

As Hall headed toward more central parts of the Palisades, he noticed widespread panic.

“Sirens went off, and it spiraled into mayhem, like real panic,” Hall said. “The fire’s dangerous, but the stampede can be more dangerous, and that’s what I saw. Just people screaming and running.

“There were people driving on sidewalks, there were people going 50 mph through red lights and stop signs. … It was mayhem.”

Hall compared the sight to a movie depicting Armageddon between thick smoke, a darkened sky and total panic throughout the area.

Neither he nor his neighbors have been able to go and look at the wreckage and see if anything made it out okay. He has been told by firefighters that no building still stands.

“There’s nothing to return to. I mean, I can go back and sift through ashes and that’ll be an emotional experience, but gonna give it a couple more days until we get this thing contained a little bit better,” Hall said. “Right now, (other fires are) gonna displace more people than the Palisades Fire.”

The total evacuation tally has surpassed 180,000, and about 45 square miles of land have been decimated by the fires. Arizona firefighters were dispatched on Wednesday to assist in fighting the numerous blazes.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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