Local businesses as well as national chains in the Los Angeles area are stepping up to help people affected by the devastating wildfires ravaging the area. Here’s where people can get support, from temporary shelter to free food and shower facilities.
A place to rest and recharge
Planet Fitness on Thursday told CBS MoneyWatch the gym chain is opening dozens of its Los Angeles clubs “to anyone impacted” by the Los Angeles fires, including local residents and first responders. That means both members and non-members affected by the blaze may use Planet Fitness facilities, including showers, massage tools, wifi and electrical outlets free of charge. The offer is good until January 15, according to the company.
“Planet Fitness is opening its doors to residents who have been displaced to provide them basic necessities such as showers and electricity, and first responders a place to help them feel supported and cared for between shifts,” the company said in a statement.
Some Planet Fitness clubs are closed because of the fires, but the offer is valid at select locations that remain open for business. The following Planet Fitness centers will allow people to use their facilities so they can rest and recharge, according to the company.
- Buena Park, CA
- Chatsworth, CA
Chino, CA - Diamond Bar, CA
- Encino, CA
- Foothill Ranch, CA
- Fountain Valley, CA
- Fullerton, CA
- Garden Grove, CA
- Granada Hills, CA
- Huntington Beach (Goldenwest St.), CA
- Laguna Niguel, CA
- Lake Forest, CA
- Los Angeles (DTLA), CA
- Los Angeles (Mid City — W Washington), CA
- Los Angeles (Washington and Hoover), CA
- Northridge, CA
- Orange, CA
- Pomona, CA
- San Dimas, CA
- Santa Ana (E Edinger), CA
- Studio City, CA
- Tustin, CA
- Upland, CA
- Van Nuys, CA
- Beaumont, CA
- Bellflower, CA
- Buena Park, CA
- Corona (Grand Oaks), CA
- Corona, CA
- Cost Mesa, CA
- Covina, CA
- Fontana (Summit Ave), CA
- Hawaiian Gardens, CA
- Hemet, CA
- Lake Elsinore, CA
- Murrieta, CA
- Ontario (E 4th St), CA
- Perris, CA
- Rancho Cucamonga (Alta Loma), CA
- Rialto (S Riverside Ave), CA
- Rialto, CA
- Riverside (Tyler), CA
- Riverside, CA
- San Bernardino, CA
- Temecula (Winchester Rd), CA
- Carson (Lomita Blvd), CA
- Carson (Town Center), CA
- Cerritos, CA
- Compton, CA
- Downey, CA
- Hawthorne, CA
- Huntington Park, CA
- Inglewood (Imperial Hwy), CA
- Inglewood (Manchester Blvd), CA
- Long Beach (Cherry Ave), CA
- Long Beach (Downtown), CA
- Long Beach (Ximeno Ave), CA
- Los Angeles (Washington Blvd), CA
- Los Angeles (Wilmington Ave), CA
- Lynwood, CA
- Norwalk, CA
- Paramount, CA
- Santa Fe Springs (Telegraph Rd), CA
- South Gate, CA
- Torrance, CA
- Whittier (Washington Blvd), CA
- Hesperia (Bear Valley Rd), CA
- Hesperia, CA
- Moreno Valley, CA
- Oxnard, CA
- San Bernardino (S. Mt. Vernon), CA
- Ventura, CA
- Victorville, CA
- Lancaster, CA
- Palmdale, CA
- Santa Clarita, CA
- Simi Valley, CA
- Thousand Oaks (Westlake), CA
- Ontario, CA
- San Bernardino (E. Highland and Sterling), CA
- Anaheim (West Katella Ave), CA
- Santa Ana, CA
Temporary shelter
Airbnb.org, the home rental company’s charitable arm, is offering free temporary housing for residents who have been displaced or forced to evacuate their homes because of the wildfires.
Stays, which are funded by the organization as well as through donations from Airbnb hosts, are free of charge for eligible guests. Many hosts waive the cost of stays completely or offer them at a steep discount, in the event of emergencies, through Airbnb.org.
Airbnb.org has partnered with 211 LA, which serves Los Angeles County. Fill out this form on 211 LA’s site to apply for free emergency housing support.
To be eligible for free housing, applicants must have been displaced from their physical homes due to the fires, must reside in an evacuation zone, have an Airbnb account and be 18 or older.
Free food for first responders
Several restaurants and eateries are offering free food for the emergency personnel battling the fires, which have burned more than 45 square miles in and around Los Angles and put roughly 179,000 people under evacuation orders.
Joe’s Pizza LA, which said on social media that all of its locations remain open, is offering free meals to firefighters and first responders. On Facebook, burger chain Shake Shack said its Los Angles County locations that remain open are also offering first responders free burgers through Sunday.
