Burned Out, Not Broken: Dutch Merrick’s Journey With Altadena LA Wildfires

In this raw and powerful episode, we sit down with Hollywood prop master Dutch Merrick—whose life changed forever during the devastating LA Eaton Fire.

👉 Learn more about Dutch's work: https://www.PropGunSafety.com

Dutch Merrick on IMDb

Dutch opens up about:

• Losing his home in Altadena to the wildfires
• Fighting the flames alone for hours before escaping
• The emotional weight of losing family memories, film projects, and everything he owned
• How his Hollywood community showed up for him
• Rebuilding both physically and spiritually after devastation
• His transition from entertainment armorist to gun safety educator

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Chapters:
(00:01:00) What do you love about LA?
(00:01:46) How Sunny Got To LA
(00:03:57) Reset in LA
(00:05:06) 2020
(00:12:32) Work
(00:19:18) Living in Altadena
(00:21:37) Right Before the Fire
(00:29:25) Evacuation & The Fire
(00:33:54) Where We Are At Now
(00:39:06) Finding Joy and Closure
(00:43:25) The Devastation
(00:45:48) Tintypes
(00:50:51) Forgotten Already
(00:54:16) Next Steps
(00:58:25) The Kitties Are With Me
(00:59:30) Where To Go To Find Out More
(01:02:43) The Future

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Host:
Neil Alonzo

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