Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were one of the Hollywood A-listers not spared from the devastating California wildfires in the previous weeks. But with their sizable bank accounts, the couple was able to hire a team of private firefighters, to which they received mixed reactions online.
Private firefighters may sound strange to some, but the elite service actually exists usually through insurance providers. And since Kardashian and West are financially able to afford it, they employed the said help after confirming their $60 million Hidden Hills property were almost reached by the Woolsey Fire.
I heard the flames have hit our property at our home in Hidden Hills but now are more contained and have stopped at the moment. It doesn’t seems like it is getting worse right now, I just pray the winds are in our favor. God is good. I’m just praying everyone is safe ????????
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) November 9, 2018
With the social status that Kardashian and West have, they inadvertently opened up the discussion about access to firefighters for hire during devastating fires. Some interpreted their use of private firefighting services as a manifestation of “class inequality” transcending to people’s options to environmental issues.
Others have also defended Kardashian and West stating they used the private service simply because they are able and have access to it. Meanwhile, it is also important to note that the makeup mogul and the hip-hop artist might have also saved their entire neighborhood by hiring the private firefighters.
TMZ shared a photo showing how close the fires were to the Kardashian-West mansion. Since the property is located in a cul-de-sac, the rest of the neighborhood could have been torched down had the estate caught fire.
On other news, West — a staunch Donald Trump supporter — previously announced to refrain from getting involved in politics. But Kardashian revealed that her husband is not entirely detaching himself and makes an effort to be heard by the President of the United States if he does not agree to a certain statement.
Trump was criticized for blaming the California wildfires to “poor” forest management before threatening to cut federal funding. “When [West] doesn’t agree with something like that fire comment he will screengrab [and] he will send it to the people close to [Trump] and say that maybe there should be a little more empathy in this,” Kardashian told Variety.
