DIIV’s Zachary Cole Smith launches fundraiser after losing home in LA wildfires
DIIV frontman Zachary Cole Smith is one of the more than 150,000 Los Angeles residents affected by the destructive wildfires currently tearing through the city. Having lost his home, a fundraiser has been set up for the musician, his pregnant wife and child.
Four fires are currently burning in different areas of Los Angeles. With residents forced to evacuate, many have lost their homes and all their belongings to the disaster. Already labelled as the most destructive fire in LA history, it is a personal tragedy to all those affected, including Smith.
The DIIV frontman’s Altadena home tragically burnt down in the wildfire. In a GoFundMe campaign set up by their friend Lindsey Hartman, it is reported that while Cole, his six-month pregnant wife and two-year-old son Roy are all safe, they have suffered major losses. “My two best best friends, Dani and Cole Smith, lost their house and all belongings in the Altadena fire this morning. This home was everything to them and their two year old baby, Roy,” Hartman wrote on the fundraiser.
“This home included all of their possessions (clothing, heirlooms, prized possessions) as well as all of Cole’s musical gear, the family car, and all of their baby supplies for Roy and the newborn on the way,” the campaign continues, highlighting just how distressing the situation is for the family, especially with a new addition on the way.
Launched with a target to raise $30,000 for the family, Hartman wrote, “While this money will hardly make a dent to the losses they encountered, I’m hoping to help get them back on their feet with some essentials for themselves and the kids.” At the time of writing, that goal has already been exceeded, with $35,496 raised through 538 donations.
In response to the donations, Smith said, “The depth of kindness we have experienced today from our friends, our family, our neighbors, fellow parents, fellow Altadena residents, and complete strangers has been truly unbelievable.”
Thanking everyone who has helped him and his family, he added, “We are just one of many, many families who have lost their homes today. some of the most profound kindness we’ve experienced today has been from other families who lost their homes as well.”
Acknowledging the countless other families in the same situation as his own, Smith said, “We are not alone, which has brought us a lot of sadness but also a strange sense of comfort and community,” as he sent his love to the other victims of this ongoing disaster.
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