Aaron Rodgers has claimed arsonists started a fire close to his house in Southern California amid the blazing infernos that continue to wreak havoc in Los Angeles.
The veteran New York Jets quarterback, who was born in Chico, Northern California and has owned multiple properties in his home state, discussed the ongoing LA wildfires during his latest appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show.
‘The really disheartening thing aside from a loss of a home, because it is more just a house, it’s the arson,’ he said. ‘There is a ton of arson. There is a ton of arson in LA in general. It is one of those things people don’t like talking about in SoCal cos of all the money that goes to various initiatives.
‘I’m not even gonna mention it cos it is kind of a H๏τ ʙuттon, but there is a lot of arson and people have been caught doing it. Caught walking around with blowtorches and different s***. It is inhumane, it is sickening.’
Rodgers added: ‘You have people legitimately starting fires in areas. The Runyon Canyon fire, that was arson, a fire was started. There was a fire that was started real close to my house, that was arson, [but] that thankfully got put away really quick.
‘So that’s the s***ty part about all this. The beautiful part is how people have come together.’
Aaron Rodgers has claimed arsonists started a fire close to his house in Southern California
“So many people have come together to help..My hat is tipped to the incredible men and women who are putting in crazy hours” @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/wGB7o3RtUe
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 16, 2025 Read MoreBREAKING NEWS LeBron James and his family forced to evacuate mansion as LA wildfires continue to rage 
Rodgers was unable to feature on McAfee’s sports talk show last week after being left with ‘no power’ in Southern California due to the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly fires, which have destroyed thousands of homes and claimed the lives of 25 people.
Several LA residents have been forced to evacuate their properties since the blaze first broke out in the Pacific Palisades area last Tuesday.
One of those homeowners was acting star Miles Teller, who told Rodgers that he and wife Kelly ‘lost everything’ in the fires.
‘I literally flew in, no power, I drive over the hill the next day and I call Miles. That was one of the first things I did, I was checking on him cos they’re in the Palisades.
‘Personally I’ve known Miles 17, 18 years, him and his wife Kelly are incredible people, and they were like, “Yeah we lost everything.” And that’s when it really hit hit home, this is legitimate. They didn’t have a chance. They had a short amount of time, they got everything they could and got out.’
Rodgers, who is still reeling from one of the worst seasons of his career with the Jets after missing out on the NFL playoffs, also took a thinly-veiled swipe at California governor Gavin Newsom amid the state’s crisis.
‘You’re talking about a crazy rebuild that’s gonna take years, cos it would take years anyway but with LA it’s terrible. I’m not going to get into it just because it’s so ridiculous, you could go on a small diatribe about the lack of leadership for so long.
ᴅᴇᴀᴅly fires in Los Angeles have destroyed thousands of homes and killed 35 people
Rodgers was born in Northern California and has owned multiple properties in his home state
The quarterback took a thinly-veiled swipe at California governor Gavin Newsom (pictured)
After losing 12 out of 17 games in the regular season, Rodgers’ future with the Jets is still unclear as both parties weigh up whether to go their separate ways.
New York officials are also on the hunt for a new head coach and general manager, positions which may need to be filled before a final decision on the quarterback can be made.
‘I always feel like the season is over when the Super Bowl is over, and then everything resets,’ Rodgers said about his future. ‘There are obviously moving pieces in New York with a number of job interviews for GM and head coach. There’s obviously more names being released every day that the team is looking at.
‘But I’ve had limited communication with them. I’ve been dealing with trying to protect my house over here.’
