Actor Steve Guttenberg almost goes unrecognized helping L.A. fire crews

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Police Academy star Steve Guttenberg jumped into the fray to help first responders get people to safety as they dealt with wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

The blaze began Tuesday in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

By late afternoon, it had spread across more than 1,260 acres as hundreds of firefighters and other local agencies attempted to put out the flames, the L.A. Fire Department said.

As roadways became clogged as scores of people abandoned their vehicles to flee on foot, Guttenberg stuck around to help.

Donning a facemask and blue baseball cap, the 66-year-old actor urged people leaving their cars behind to also leave their keys, allowing him to help move them so that emergency vehicles could get by, KTLA reported.

“What’s happening is people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars,” the Three Men and a Baby actor told the outlet.

“If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there, so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there.”

The actor explained how friends have been unable to flee the flames due to the traffic jam.

“There are people stuck up there. So we’re trying to clear Palisades Dr., and I’m walking up there as far as I can moving cars,” he said.

“There are families up there, there are pets up there. There are people who really need help,” Guttenberg added.

He also said that it was important for everyone to “band together” during this trying time.

“Don’t worry about your personal property. Just get out. Get your loved ones and get out,” the ’80s icon said.

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At the end of his interview, which was shared on social media, the KTLA reporter thanked Guttenberg for his time, and asked him his name and if he lived nearby.

Guttenberg shared his first and last name before saying he lives “right up the hill.”

The reporter responded, “You’re an actor… You look familiar to me now,” which Guttenberg confirmed.

In an interview with Good Morning America, he described the blaze as “the biggest fire I’ve ever seen in my life,” calling it an “unbelievable” tragedy.

“Nobody knew how to deal with this thing,” he said. “Thank God we’ve got great firemen, we’ve got great police people, and we’ve got normal people who lend a hand.”