Olympian Gary Hall Jr. Details Losing Home, Medals from LA Wildfires

Three-time United States Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. said Wednesday that he lost his Pacific Palisades home and nearly all of his possessions due to the raging Los Angeles wildfires.

Speaking to Kyra O'Connor of 12News, Hall said: "It's not just a home, it's all worldly possessions. I really am that guy with nothing to lose."

Hall, 50, noted that his 10 Olympic medals were among the items he had to leave behind when he evacuated.

Across three Summer Olympic appearances in 1996, 2000 and 2004, Hall won five gold medals, three silvers and two bronze. That included individual gold in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

Hall said he was only able to grab his dog, a pair of shoes and a pair of underwear before leaving his home.

Gary Hall Sr., who is Hall Jr.'s father and a three-time Olympic swimming medalist in his own right, posted on social media (h/t TMZ Sports) that Gary Jr. was also able to escape with his insulin and some paintings, including one depicting his grandfather.

Hall Jr. described the scary scene he experienced before fleeing to a hotel and then his sister's house, saying: "It grew quickly, then flames, and you could see the houses going up one by one as it moved down the hill to where I was. It was not very far away when I drove off. ... Hot embers were raining down on me as I jumped into the car," Hall Jr. said. "It was just pandemonium."

Hall Jr. added that he saw people abandoning their cars and running in the streets, noting that it "was just unlike anything I've ever seen in any apocalypse movie."

CNN reported Thursday that at least five different wildfires had broken out, spreading across a combined 28,878 acres.

Nearly 180,000 residents have been told to evacuate their homes, and while five deaths have been reported, the total death toll remains unknown.