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Some of the wealthy in Los Angeles are hiring private firefighters to save their mansions and businesses as fires devastate the area.

According to the U.S. Sun, the individuals are paying those firefighters $2,000 an hour for their efforts, but the choice to shell out the cash has brought criticism, the outlet reported Sunday.

WATCH — L.A. Nightmare: Wildfire Devastates California Neighborhood Leaving Charred Homes, Cars:

The Sun article continued:

Keith Wasserman, co-founder of real estate investment firm Gelt Venture Partners, provoked fury after a post on X, in which he asked for “private firefighters” to protect his land in the A-list neighbourhood of the Pacific Palisades.

…

Social media users criticized Keith, slamming his call for help as “incredibly tone deaf”.

Commenter Sam Vance wrote: “Incredible nerve. His family is evacuated and he’s trying to hire private firefighters to risk their lives to save a home he most certainly has insured. “Incredibly tone deaf.”

As thousands of city, county, and state firefighters respond to the blazes, crew members with David Togerson’s firefighters, who work for his Wildfire Defense Systems, were dispatched to specific locations to try and save particular homes, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

WATCH — “It’s Horrific”: See the Devastation of the Eaton Fire in the Los Angeles Area:

The crew members have their own water supply and fire-blocking gel, the Times article said, adding that the group “contracts with insurance companies to defend the homes of customers who buy policies that include their services.”

However, “Their presence isn’t without controversy. Private firefighters hired by homeowners directly have drawn criticism for heightening class divides during disasters,” the newspaper article stated.

Numerous celebrities in Los Angeles lost their homes to the fires, with the Associated Press (AP) on Thursday naming individuals such as Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore, and Paris Hilton.

Video footage shows more celebrities whose homes were devastated by the fires:

Actor and director Mel Gibson recently spoke on the loss of his $14.5 million home in Malibu that was burned down in the fire, per Breitbart News.

“But it is obviously kind of devastating emotionally. You know, you’ve lived there for a long time. And you had all your ‘stuff’… Do you remember George Carlin talking about your ‘stuff’? I had all my ‘stuff’ there and it’s like I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff, because it’s all in cinders,” he said.

Tragically, the death toll from the wildfires rose to 16 on Sunday, Breitbart News reported.