Viewers of the 67th Grammy Awards have pledged 7 million dollars (£5,705,000) for wildfire relief.
Comedian Trevor Noah, who was hosting the event, made the announcement and throughout the ceremony, there were several nods to the LA wildfires which displaced tens of thousands of people and destroyed thousands of structures.
Noah kicked off the awards show by saying a few weeks ago, many were not even sure if it would happen.
“Tens of thousands of people have lost their homes, entire neighbourhoods have been erased and schools, local businesses and entire communities have burned to the ground.
“Thankfully, due to the heroic actions of firefighters, the fires have now been contained and despite all the devastation, the spirit of the city has emerged.”
He added the people of LA are a perfect example of how in the “darkest of times, the best of humanity shines through”.
The Recording Academy and charity MusiCares launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort with a 1 million dollar (£815,900) donation.
Currently, 7 million dollars (£5,705,000) has been pledged in emergency aid to those in the music industry affected by the wildfires.
Throughout the ceremony, references have been made to the wildfires, with a compilation of clips of the destruction caused by them broadcast, including shots of residents visiting their destroyed homes and schools.
Members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department also presented the award for album of the year, which went to Beyonce for Cowboy Carter, and were given a standing ovation.
Earlier, Harvey Mason Jr, Recording Academy chief executive officer, opened the Premiere Ceremony of the Grammys by paying tribute to the LA community.
He said: “This is a very special event and a special day.
“For the next three hours and then later tonight on the telecast, we’re going to honour and celebrate this amazing year in music.
“We’ll hand out some trophies and we’re going to see some unforgettable performances and this year, we’re also going to honour music’s great power to inspire, to heal and to unite because of the recent fires that devastated Los Angeles, we’re also going to recognise the resilience of our community and celebrate our first responders and do our very best to lift up this city that we love.”
