Kim Kardashian Defends Using Private Firefighters to Save California Home in Midst of Backlash

Kim Kardashian is defending her usage of private firefighters to save her Hidden Hills home during [...]

Kim Kardashian is defending her usage of private firefighters to save her Hidden Hills home during the Woolsey Fire.

After many took to social media to criticize Kardashian and husband Kanye West for hiring private firefighters, Kardashian explained the situation while on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

"I feel like we were really blessed to hire the private firefighters that we did. Our house is right on the end of a big park, so the whole park had caught fire and if our house went, then every other house would go," she told Degeneres.

She explained that the company the firefighters came from had been recommended to her by friends who had recently lost their home in a Santa Barbara fire.

She said that she'd seen some of the backlash online and understood that not everyone has the luxury of being able to protect their homes in the same way that she and West did. But she fought back against claims that it was selfish, explaining that she instructed the team of firefighters to protect the neighbors' houses as well.

"They saved our home and saved our neighborhood. I had them just make sure that they controlled every house on the edge, so it wasn't just my home that I said, 'just take care of our home,'" Kardashian said. "Take care of everything, because once they go, once ours starts, the whole neighborhood can go."

"I don't take that for granted and that was such a blessing that we were able to do that," she concluded.

She also presented donations totaling $500,000 on behalf of West, his Yeezy shoe company and Adidas while on the show. Of that $500,000, $200,000 was donated to the California Fire Foundation, $200,000 to the California Community Foundations Wildfire Relief Fund, and $100,000 to a firefighter and his family who lost their home.

Kardashian and West aren't the only celebrities who have donated to wildfire relief. Miley Cyrus and fiancé Liam Hemsworth, who lost their Malibu home in the Woolsey Fire, donated $500,000 to the Malibu Foundation via Cyrus' Happy Hippie Foundation.

"Miley and Liam lost their home but are very grateful to be safe along with their animals!" a statement from Cyrus' representative read last week. "Their community and state are very special to them and they want to give back to the place that has created so many beautiful memories for themselves and others. They are donating $500,000 to The Malibu Foundation through Miley's charity, Happy Hippie, in hopes to restore Malibu's magic."

"These funds will be used for those in financial need, emergency relief assistance, community rebuilding, wildfire prevention and climate change resilience," the statement continued. "Those looking to get involved your time, support and donations are greatly appreciated."

Stars like Cyrus, Gerard Butler, Robin Thicke, Kim Basinger and Neil Young lost their homes in the fires. They and many other celebrities have used their platform to encourage people to donate to wildfire relief.

To learn more about helping the victims of the California wildfires, click here.

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