Swimmer Gary Hall Jr. Says IOC Is Sending Replicas of Olympic Medals Lost in L.A. Wildfires: ‘I’m Touched’ (Exclusive)

Former U.S. swimmer Gary Hall Jr. says he’s “touched” and “appreciative” that the International Olympic Committee will replace the 10 career Olympic medals he lost in the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, which destroyed his Pacific Palisades home last week.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said in a statement Sunday that the IOC will provide “replicas” of Hall Jr.’s medals, which he says were believed to have been lost in the fire that burned down his home.

Hall Jr., 50, won five gold, three silver and two bronze Olympic medals throughout his career, which included appearances at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, the 2020 Summer Games in Sydney and the 2004 Games in Athens.

In an interview with PEOPLE from his sister Maria Diego’s home two and a half hours south of Los Angeles, Hall Jr. says he’s “grateful” that the IOC will replace the medals and for those who have reached out to him or donated to him in recent days.

“I’m touched by the outpouring of support,” Hall Jr. tells PEOPLE. “While that means a lot to me, it’s, you know, the high school friend that I haven’t seen in 20 years who’s made a $100 donation to my GoFundMe campaign and things like that, to me, that are as valuable as the International Olympic Committee stepping up and saying that they’ll replace the medals.”

Hall Jr. continued: “I am so appreciative, but the medals are just one thing. A medal replacement can’t provide the necessities of life, like rent and stuff like that. But yeah, I just am so grateful to everybody that’s reached out.”

Hall Jr. says he fled to his sister’s house last week after escaping his home, describing last week that “it was worse than any apocalypse movie you’ve ever seen and 1,000 times worse.” Hall Jr. said he rescued his dog and was “surrounded by flames” as he left the house with embers “raining down on me as I jumped into my car.”

The swimmer sounded shell shocked over the phone four days later, recalling the experience and trying to come to terms with the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.

Hall Jr. says the only update he’s received about his house was a video of the property sent to him by a friend of a friend who was able to stop by and survey the scene. “It’s leveled,” Hall Jr. said, choking up as he described the video. “There’s nothing.”

The former U.S. swimmer says his kids and ex-wife are safe, luckily living up the coast and out of range from the fires. Hall Jr. says his girlfriend is also safe, but unfortunately her house was destroyed in the fire as well.

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“It’s overwhelming, the sense of loss,” Hall Jr. says, as he and other Angelenos mourn the loss of their homes and communities. “But what has offset that is an overwhelming outpouring of support and love. And I really think that’s what’s needed most at this time for families to begin to recover, is that sense that they are loved.”

Hall Jr.’s other sister, Amy, set up a GoFundMe to help him begin to rebuild his life and business, teaching kids in the Los Angeles area how to swim. More than $75,000 in donations have been raised for Hall Jr. as of Monday afternoon.

Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.