Firefighter & Olympian Dave Walters On Wildfire Fight: “We’re Trying To Keep What’s Left Here”

Olympic gold medallist turned LA firefighter Dave Walters spoke to NewsNation briefly on Friday, Jan. 9, about his experience fighting the fires raging across Los Angeles, California. NewsNation reporter Nancy Loo said that like many firefighters in the area, it was his first break in two days, which he was able to take because replacement fire crews had arrived.

“We’re pretty much trying to keep what is left here standing,” Walters said. “And so, we’re not laying down, we’re staying our positions…I did sleep on top of the hose bed last night. Just staying ready to do what we can still do.”

He continued, “I’m very sorry for the residents that live here. 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 our health up so we can stay active.”

Los Angeles firefighter David Walters told NewsNation correspondent @NancyLoo that his team tried their best to put out the fires but ultimately “got our butts kicked.”

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— NewsNation (@NewsNation) January 10, 2025

Courtesy: NewsNation

Walters has been part of the LA County Fire Department for almost ten years. Swim fans will best remember him for his roles on the Beijing 2008 and Rome 2009 men’s 4×200 freestyle relay. In Rome, he helped break the world record the U.S. quartet had established the year before in the Olympic final. Walters owns six long-course World Championship medals (four gold, one bronze) from relays across three editions of the World Championships.