Dolvett Quince, a personal trainer best known for his appearance on seasons 12 through 17 of Biggest Loser, is seen on social media as one of many Californians are out of place from their homes as wildfires spread across Los Angeles County.
Quince says he first heard about the burn on social media and that he could see the smoke in his home just two miles from the Palisades.
“I stayed that night. It was very hard to breathe in my house because you could smell the ash and there was just smoke in the air. It came up my throat, through my nose, through my eyes, to my dogs .same, and we all decided to just have a bag packed just in case. And then the next day we got an evacuation notice.
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Celebrity trainer Dolvett Quince talks about the moments leading up to his evacuation during the wildfires ravaging California.
Quince says when he first saw the smoke when the fires started, he thought what a shame. At the time he didn’t realize the severity of what was happening, but when he got home today, it was bad.
“A lot of tree brush, a lot of things that have been blown over by the wind. There’s still a lot of debris in the roads from the damage to the trees. I think we still have a long way to go to get everything cleared… it looks good looks bad,” he says.
He remains, as always, optimistic. Remember, there have been so many other disasters over the years.
“Katrina survived; Puerto Rico survived. Right? They were able to recover. I think because California has so many resources, the people who live here want to see their city better governed and better governed. I think I have high hopes that people will take action to ensure that we come back stronger,” Quince said.
PALISADES RESIDENT DESCRIBES LOSING HOME TO FIRE | FOX NEWS VIDEO
Firefighters work from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property in Malibu, California on January 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
The community around him is already showing signs of this bounce back.
“I saw people helping others with bottled water, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do when I get out of here with you and go out into the community and help people,” he said. “I think energetically, the shift has happened here in Los Angeles, where people are actually taking care of each other and helping others.”
He also expressed some disappointment, like most wildfire victims, about the disaster government preparedness in an area known for frequent fires and earthquakes.
“I feel like we know the problem, but even though we knew it, we weren’t prepared for it,” he said. “We pay too much in taxes to get this limited care.”
Hollywood Hills fire (FOX Weather)
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However, he did praise firefighters across the region and neighboring countries for their quick response and assistance, saying they deserve more for all their hard work.
“The response time of the firefighters and the first responders, the firefighters and the firewomen that came was amazing, absolutely amazing,” Quince enthused. “Firefighters should be paid more, firefighters should be valued more, and I think as a state, especially in states that are prone to fires, there should be a bump there. We absolutely have to care enough about your hard work and what you have to go through to sacrifice your life and the lives of your family to do the work that you do. We have to take better care of them.
