Olympic gold medalist-turned-firefighter battles California blazes as wildfires continue to burn
David Walters, a former University of Texas swimmer, made headlines in 2008 after he earned a gold medal for Team USA during the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Nearly two decades later, his name popped up again, but for an entirely different reason.
Walters, who has been a firefighter in Los Angeles for almost 10 years, is one of the more than 7,500 firefighting and emergency personnel working to contain the devastating wildfires raging throughout Southern California this week.
The former Olympian recently spoke to News Nation about the devastation as he finished up a shift working two days straight, according to the outlet.
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"We’re pretty much trying to keep what is left here standing," an exhausted Walters said. "So, we’re not laying down. We’re staying in our position – that’s correct, I did sleep on top of the hose bed last night, just staying ready to do what we can still do."
At least 10 people have died as a result of multiple wildfires as thousands evacuated their homes. Around 10,000 structures from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena have burned down as strong winds continue to fuel the fires.
The largest fire burning in Pacific Palisades began on Tuesday, and officials said on Thursday evening that containment was at 6% for that fire.
"I’m very sorry for the residents that live here," Walters continued.
"We did try our best, but we got our butts kicked. We’re getting some rest now, and we’re all trying to get our nutrition up and health up so we can stay active."
Walters, 37, won gold in the men’s 4 x 200 metres freestyle relay, where they set a then-Olympic record with a time of 7:04.66. It was his only Olympic appearance. That same year, he won his first NCAA individual title in the men’s 200 freestyle.
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