My husband and I went to Coral Beach Cantina to eat Saturday night, tired from a day of helping others during the fire and getting our fire pump and hose ready if indeed the wind shifted again toward us. The patio and restaurants were packed. Everyone knew somebody so there was a lot of hugging and asking if their homes were ok. Finding out who had lost homes, there were murmurs of both sorrow and relief. A group of about 10 firefighters sat at an outside table. I asked them where they were from and they said Huntington Park and one other city. We thanked them profusely. Everyone who came in to eat walked over to their table and thanked them.
Three children came in at one point bearing plates of homemade cookies for them. Everyone broke out in applause. A man from another table walked over and quietly asked them where their bill was, insisting it be given to him. But there was no bill, of course. The restaurant did not charge them. As the tired men got up to return to Corral Canyon, they all left tips on the table for the waiter.
They humbly accepted all the praise, seeming a bit embarrassed by all the attention. Malibu is a city full of celebrities, people we see on television, in movies, playing pro sports and so on. But during these fires we get to see who the real celebrities are, the real heroes, men and women who risk their lives to save our homes and lives, who do not get paid nearly enough money for such risks, who deserve to be on the cover of magazines and are the people we hope our children idolize and strive to be.
God bless all the brave people who fought this fire. They are the most famous people I ever hope to meet.
Kim Ledoux