Business leaders react to California wildfires: 'Heartbreaking'

Several business leaders have reacted on social media to the wildfires raging in Southern California. 

In a Wednesday night post on X, Apple CEO Tim Cook called the destruction from the flames impacting Los Angeles County "heartbreaking."

"Thank you to the incredible firefighters, first responders, and all those assisting for your heroic efforts," he wrote, adding that Apple "will be donating to support the victims and recovery efforts on the ground."

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Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff similarly said Wednesday he was "heartbroken."

"Having seen firsthand the destruction that high speed winds and fire can cause, my thoughts are fixed with everyone affected," he added. "May peace and safety be restored to all in this difficult time."

In other X posts, Benioff also encouraged people to "join the effort to support" people affected by the fires, sharing an article detailing several relief organizations. 

Bob Iger, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, said Wednesday on Instagram that his "heart goes out to everyone who has lost homes and businesses, and all whose lives have been impacted, including thousands of Disney employees."

"I drove through Pacific Palisades today and witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by the fires," he said. 

"Incredibly sad to see the devastating impact of the Los Angeles wildfires," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said Thursday on X. "Thinking of everyone in Los Angeles right now … My heart goes out to everyone going through this scary and dangerous time." 

Amazon Disaster Relief "is preparing to ship pallets of relief items from our wildfire Disaster Relief Hub to the @RedCross and other partners to help communities and first responders," Jassy said. 

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Threads corporate parent Meta Platforms, said Thursday he was "praying for everyone in LA right now."

"Meta is giving to the relief efforts and Priscilla and I are personally as well," he said on Threads. "Meta also activated Safety Check and so far more than 400k people have used it to let friends and family know they're safe."

"Devastated for the people of Southern Calfornia," wrote Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in a Thursday X post. "To help support evacuations where we can, @Uber is providing free rides up to $40 to or from designated shelters in the area w/ code ‘WILDFIRE25’ in your app. We continue to monitor this crisis & will be ready to help our communities rebuild."

Ford CEO Jim Farley also said, "My heart goes out to everyone affected by the wildfires in California. I've spoken to friends, Ford employees and dealers in the area, some of who have evacuated or lost their homes."

The automaker is "mobilizing to help support the recovery in the days and weeks ahead," he added. 

Five wildfires were blazing in Los Angeles County as of Thursday evening. 

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Three of the wildfires — the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire and the Sunset Fire — remained 0% contained, according to CalFire. The Hurst and Lidia fires, meanwhile, have been 10% and 60% contained, respectively.

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Of the five, the Palisades Fire has burned the most acres so far, impacting over 17,200, according to CalFire. An early morning update on the Palisades Fire reported hundreds of buildings destroyed and some 13,300 facing the threat of flames. 

At least five people have died in the Eaton Fire.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday evening that "more than 7,500 firefighting personnel are on the ground working with local and federal partners to respond to California’s ongoing historic wildfires."