As a thank you for its response to the Thomas fire, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi donated thousands of dollars worth of appliances and gift cards to the Redlands Fire Department.
The longtime couple made the donation earlier this month after discovering a crew from Redlands Fire were among responding units that helped protect their home along a stretch of the wildfire’s path.
“(Their) house, along with others in the immediate area were directly threatened,” said Jim Topoleski, a battalion chief for the department. “One of our engines just happened to be deployed in that location.”