As devastating wildfires continue to ravage parts of Los Angeles, Beyoncé said she is donating $2.5 million to support relief efforts through her BeyGOOD charitable foundation.
“BeyGOOD is taking action by announcing the LA Fire Relief Fund,” reads a statement shared on the organization’s Instagram page on Sunday. “The fund is earmarked to aid families in the Altadena/Pasadena area who lost their homes, and to churches and community centers to address the immediate needs of those affected by the wildfires.”
The announcement arrived as thousands of firefighters struggled to contain a series of blazes that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people. Though the number of people under evacuation orders in Los Angeles County dropped to under 100,000 on Monday, officials cautioned that more evacuations could be ordered if high winds return this week.
Last week, Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles said that her Malibu bungalow was destroyed in the fires.
“It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred Happy Place. Now it is gone,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Musicians among those who lost homes
Since the catastrophic wildfires broke out on Jan. 7, much attention has focused on the long list of celebrities who have been impacted by the blazes.
Music fans have also been coming together to support lesser-known musicians and artists, including the hip hop producer Madlib who lost his home.
“We are reaching out with heavy hearts to ask for your support in helping legendary producer Madlib and his family rebuild after losing their home, decades of music, and equipment in the devastating LA fires,” reads a fundraising page shared on social media by fellow producers DJ Premier and Flying Lotus.
Last week, friends of Zachary Cole, the frontman of indie rock band DIIV, created a GoFundMe page for the musician, who was forced to evacuate his home with his pregnant wife and two-year-old son. According to the fundraising page, Cole lost his “musical gear, the family car, and all of their baby supplies for Roy and the newborn on the way.”
Fundraisers have also been launched for rapper Fat Tony, indie pop singer Empress Of and many more.
Singer and rapper Jhené Aiko and country star Brad Paisley are also among those who have lost their homes.
More relief efforts under way
The music industry is also rallying to support artists impacted by the fire.
On Friday, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and its non-profit foundation MusicCares announced that it had launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to support music professionals impacted by the crisis, making a combined pledge of $1 million to kick off the efforts.
“The entire Grammy family is shocked and deeply saddened by the situation that is unfolding in Los Angeles,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares, in a statement. “The music community is being so severely impacted but we will come together as an industry to support one another.”
That same day, the Intuit Dome — the indoor arena that hosts the LA Clippers in Inglewood, California — announced that it will be hosting FireAid, a benefit concert on Jan. 30, three days before the Grammys are set to take place in downtown Los Angeles.
Described as “an evening of music and solidarity,” the show will raise money to rebuild communities devastated by the fires and support efforts to prevent future disasters throughout Southern California.
Performers for the show have not yet been announced.
