“We can’t just rely on the government,” said Patricia Heaton of the LA Firefighters
Patricia Heaton criticized California leadership, saying officials “dropped the ball” on the response to the Los Angeles fires.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, he said city leaders were not prepared to partner with the LA Dream Center to help needy residents and that taxpayer money was not being questioned.
The “Everybody Loves Raymond” star called for a change after a “tough lesson.”
California wildfires: Important phone numbers for Los Angeles-area residents and how to help them
Patricia Heaton criticizes the government’s response to the Los Angeles fires. (Getty Images)
Heaton explained that Los Angeles did not seem ready for the fire. On January 7, a fire started in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Since then, several fires have ravaged the star city and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. The actress emphasized on the importance of forest management and water reservoirs.
“I know some officials were saying, ‘Well, the system was overwhelmed.’ Well, if there’s a big fire, it’s definitely going to be overwhelmed,” she told Fox News Digital. “You have to know that and be prepared for that. So, I think a lot of money is lost in LA and we don’t know where it’s going.”
WATCH: Actress Patricia Heaton Says ‘We Can’t Rely On The Government’ After Destroying City
Heaton insisted Californians “can’t just rely on government to take care of things.”
“It’s people in your community who come together and insist on getting things done. And unfortunately, that’s a very, very hard lesson.”
“But I think that’s what’s needed to break up that bureaucracy and get the government to do what it’s supposed to do, which is take care of the infrastructure in the first place,” Heaton said.
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Patricia Heaton moved from Hollywood to Nashville. (Getty Images)
Heaton is working with the LA Dream Center to help with disaster relief efforts, and she’s not alone. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kathie Lee Gifford and Chris Pratt have all donated items or money to a charity working to help those affected by the Los Angeles fires.
“They stepped up. They were seen. We were advocates,” Matthew Barnett, founder of the LA Dream Center, told Fox News Digital about celebrity endorsements. It did, just like my Instagram post talking.”
LA Dream Center founder Matthew Barnett told Fox News Digital that Dwayne Johnson, Kathie Lee Gifford and Chris Pratt have all donated to the LA Dream Center to help with fire relief efforts. (Karwai Tang/WireImage | Getty Images)
WATCH: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Snoop Dogg Helping Dream Center During Fire
LA Dream Center It is typically run by community programs that serve as a resource center focused on “supporting those affected by homelessness, hunger and lack of education,” according to the website.
As more fires continue to burn in Los Angeles, the charity has shifted gears.
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Patricia Heaton is best known for her role in the TV sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. (Richard Hartog/Los Angeles Times)
When Heaton once called Los Angeles home, the actress knew that moving to Nashville, Tennessee was “the right decision” for her.
“My four sons still live in LA, and we go back to hang out and hang out,” he told Fox News Digital. So I’m not the only one who made this decision.”
“It’s filling,” Heaton said. “And after this fire, I feel like we’re going to get another huge amount of … talented and creative people who are determined, you know, they’ve had enough and they’re ready to live with friendly people and in a beautiful place. They can be creative without worrying about houses burning down and taxes going up and crime and stuff.”
For her part, Heaton helped her friends in Los Angeles move out of her home in Nashville to people who wanted to “get out” of the city.
A man walks through the devastation left by the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 9. (AP/Jay C. Hong)
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A house burns down in the Eaton fire in Altadena on January 8. (AP Photo/Nick Coury)
The number of people who lost their homes LA FiresThe Palisades fire that started Jan. 7 continues to grow. The multiple fires have destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, and claimed 24 lives so far.
Strong Santa Ana winds turned wildfires that ignited last week into wildfires that have blamed neighborhoods around the nation’s second-largest city for more than eight months of significant rain.
In less than a week, four fires over 62 square miles (160 square kilometers) nearly tripled Manhattan.
An airlifter takes off late on Jan. 13 while working to contain the Eaton fire in Altadena. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.