‘Will Pay Any Amount’: L.A. Millionaire Slammed Over Plea for Private Firefighters to Guard His Home
A Los Angeles millionaire has been slammed after he pleaded for private firefighters to save his home amid one of the worst natural disasters in the city’s history.
Keith Wasserman, who is co-founder of real estate investment company Gelt Venture Partners, wrote to his tens of thousands of followers on X that he was willing to spend big on contracted firemen to save his multi-million dollar Pacific Palisades home from being razed by quickly-spreading flames.
“Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades?” Wasserman, 40, wrote on Tuesday. “Need to act fast here. All neighbors houses burning. Will pay any amount. Thank you.”
Wasserman clarified in a later post that he and his loved ones were evacuated—he was just hoping to save “homes.”
Those posts did not sit well with many in the area, which has seen more than 2,000 structures burned down—destruction estimated to be as costly as $50 billion.
“So you’re suggesting that potentially lifesaving resources (even if ‘private’) should be diverted to save your house because you’re rich while tens of thousands of people try to evacuate?” one user wrote, tagging Wasserman.
Another added: “Let it never be forgotten that Keith Wasserman chose to reveal to the world what a substanceless a--hole he is.”
Reporter Aura Bogado noted that Wasserman’s home appears to have had a giant eucalyptus tree in front of it—a tree that is infamous for producing a highly-flammable oil.
“The tree is not native to Pacific Palisades,” Bogado wrote. “The trees look beautiful and smell amazing, the result of an oil that attracts fire. Its seeds need fire to germinate.”
Anger over Wasserman’s plea became worse after old tweets were resurfaced where he complained about property taxes—used to fund fire departments—and boasted that “real estate ballers don’t pay any.”
Wasserman initially embraced his virality, writing: “Mama, I’m going viral!”
Wasserman took his X account down entirely by Thursday afternoon, however. The real estate entrepreneur had over 70,000 followers there. He did not respond to a call from the Daily Beast.
It was not exclusively hate being hurled at Wasserman, however. Many sympathized with him over losing his “dream home” and asserted he reacted like any homeowner would.
Others pointed out that other celebrities have hired private firefighters to protect property, including Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in 2018.
“What happened to Keith Wasserman on this app today is sickening,” wrote the realtor Nick Huber on Wednesday. “He built his dream home with hard earned money a few years ago. Today that home burned to the ground. While the woke mob humiliated him. The envy and hate wealthy people receive in this world is insane.”
