LA wildfires: Celebs in line of fire as homes destroyed, under threat
Mel Gibson’s home has been under threat, and he would be “surprised” if it’s still there. Now he’s lashed out at mismanagement and pointed the finger.
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They are some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
And on Thursday, they went from playing the role to living the role, with all of the grief, heartache and horror that comes with losing their multimillion-dollar homes.
Extraordinary photos showed plumes of smoke billowing from palatial houses, luxury cars and sprawling estates as firefighters battle hellish conditions to douse the flames, trying desperately to ensure at least some residents of the celebrity enclave have homes to return to.
See who is affected:
MEL GIBSON
Mel Gibson’s home in Malibu has been under threat, and he told podcast star Joe Rogan about the state of his neighbourhood. He said he would be “surprised if my home is still there”.
“[My son] sent me a video of my neighborhood and it’s in flames,” he said.
“It looks like an inferno.”
Gibson said he does have another home in Costa Rica, but has sought to lay blame on California Governor Gavin Newsom for the damage from the LA wildfires.
“I got a place in Costa Rica—I love it there,” he said.
“I think Newsom said ‘I’m gonna take care of the forest and maintain the forest and do all that kinda stuff’—he didn’t do anything,” Gibson said.
He agreed with Rogan’s assertion about California putting put tax dollars toward supporting the homeless instead of preventing the fires.
Gibson added: “I think all our tax dollars probably went to Gavin’s hair gel.”
He also randomly claimed civilisation was going to collapse.
“All those earmarks, the precursors of a collapse, they’re present in our time,” Gibson said.
“It doesn’t take long,” for a civilisation to collapse, citing Jared Diamond’s 2011 book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
“It says all the things you need for a civilisation to cave in and collapse,” Gibson continued, “It’s an interesting observation. And we’re no smarter than our grandparents.”
BILLY CRYSTAL
Comedy legend Billy Crystal’s beloved Pacific Palisades home has gone up in flames.
The star had lived in the house with wife Janice for 46 years.
“Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing,” he said in a statement.
Crystal and his wife Janet, who lived in their $14 million Pacific Palisades home for 46 years, raising their children and grandchildren at the sprawling property with a pool and tennis court.
“We ache for our friends and neighbours who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy,” the actor’s statement read.
“Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here.
“Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away. “We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this.”
ANTHONY HOPKINS
Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins has lost his $10m colonial-style home in the Pacific Palisades after it was destroyed in the flames.
A scorched fence is all that is left standing of the once stunning property.
Sir Anthony’ four-storey London townhouse was gutted by fire in 2000. No one was home at the time and firefighters, who quickly realised who the house belonged to, were able to save his acting awards.
JOHN GOODMAN
Roseanne star John Goodman has lost his home in the Pacific Palisades after it was engulfed in flames.
Goodman’s $8 million mansion was almost completely razed, aside from the gate and letterbox, which remain intact.
RICKI LAKE’S ‘DREAM HOME’ DESTROYED
Former talk-show host Ricki Lake took to Instagram to confirm that her “dream home” in Malibu had burned to the ground.
The star, who evacuated with husband Ross Burningham. said the loss was “immeasurable”.
“I grieve along with all of those suffering during this apocalyptic event,” she posted.
Lake has lost a property to fires before. Lake’s $20,000-a-month California rental caught fire in 2010 and was left in ruins. No one was injured, but the landlord then sued her for negligence.
JAMES WOODS
Casino and The Virgin Suicides star James Woods has been live-tweeting videos of the fire near his home. This included scenes of flames licking his home’s decking and rampaging through the house of a neighbour.
Hours later, he revealed that his home’s smoke detectors were sending alerts to his phone, in a sign that his property was lost in the fires.
“I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one,” he said. “It tests your soul, losing everything at once.”
ANNA FARIS
Movie star Anna Faris has lost her mansion. The 4,000 square foot home worth almost $8 million in 2019, was completely destroyed. Photos of the home show the property in ashes.
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LEIGHTON MEESTER AND ADAM BRODY
Leighton Meester and recent Golden Globe winner Adam Brody’s Los Angeles home was tragically burned down, the NY Post reports.
Photos show the $8 million property show it being destroyed as a result of the natural disaster.
One of the images displays flames bursting through what appears to be a garage door as the roof is completely blown off and smoke billows over the surrounding area.
The shots also captured the three-storey house and its greenery caught on fire.
PARIS HILTON
Paris Hilton is the latest celebrity to lose their home in the Palisades Fire.
Her beachfront house in Malibu has been burned down.
Sources told the outlet that the residence is “completely gone” and it was “burned to a crisp.”
The Malibu house is not her main home as she owns multiple properties in the LA area.
“Praying for LA/California,” she wrote across an aerial photo showing fires raging through the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood.
MILES TELLER
Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh Sperry Teller lost their home in Pacific Palisades, California.
The Top Gun star, 37, was evacuated with his wife.
His Cape Cod style villa was located between the Palisades Bluffs and Palisades Village.
They paid $9 million for the home that was built in 2015 and had three storeys with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
All that was left his home was the front gate, the shell of a luxury car and the paved driveway it was parked on.
BEN AFFLECK
Ben Affleck’s home has also been spared after he ran to ex-wife Jennifer Garner’s home after being evacuated from the devastating California wildfires, TMZ reports.
The actor, 52, fled his $20 million Pacific Palisades mansion to her home where the couple’s 3 children also live.
HEIDI MONTAG AND SPENCER PRATT
Reality stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag confirmed their home had been lost, saying they were “devastated”.
The former “Hills” cast member, 41, wrote via his Instagram: “The one positive sign i saw as our house burned down was ours sons bed burned in the shape of a heart.“A sign of how much love was in this house so thankful for all the years and memories there with our family.”
MARK HAMILL
Mark Hamill, famously known as Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker, detailed his family’s “last-minute evacuation on social media.
Hamill said he evacuated “so last minute there [were] small fires on both sides of the road.” In an Instagram post, he added it was the “most horrific” blaze since the California fires of 1993.
Hamill said that he and his wife, Marilou York, and their dog, Trixie, were safe at his daughter Chelsea’s house in Hollywood.
“Most horrific fire since ’93,” he said on Instagram, before telling everyone to “STAY SAFE.”
DIDIER COHEN
The Aussie actor was forced to evacuate his home as well.
MANDY MOORE
Mandy Moore confirmed she’s “safe” from the Pacific Palisades wildfire.
The This is Us star was among the tens of thousands of Los Angeles residents who were forced to evacuate their homes as the destructive blaze continues to wreak havoc on the area of Southern California.
“Evacuated and safe with kids, dog and cats,” Moore wrote on her Instagram Stories.
“Praying and grateful for the first responders,” she added.
Moore shared another statement on her IG Stories alongside a photo of her with one of her sons.
“Grateful for the kindness of friends that we had a place to land last night. Trying to shield the kids from the immense sadness and worry I feel,” she wrote
“Praying for everyone in our beautiful city. So gutted for the destruction and loss. Don’t know if our place made it.”
Moore shares three children, sons August, 3, and Oscar, 2, and daughter Louise, 3 months, with musician husband Taylor Goldsmith.
TOM HANKS AND RITA WILSON
Tom Hank and Rita Wilson’s home has been spared in the blaze.
Photos on the NY Post show the home left intact after fire ripped through their local area.
Chet Hanks, the son of Tom and Rita spoke of how his childhood neighbourhood was impacted by the Pacific Palisades wildfire.
“The neighbourhood I grew up in is burning to the ground rn,” Chet wrote in a text post on his Instagram Stories.
“Pray for the Palisades,” he added, along with a prayer hands emoji.
The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets star grew up in Los Angeles and is the firstborn son of the Forrest Gump actor. He has a younger brother named Truman, 29, and two half-siblings from his dad’s first marriage to Samantha Lewes.
KAMALA HARRIS’ HOME IN EVACUATION ZONE
Kamala Harris’ $8 million California home was in the evacuation zone but the defeated presidential candidate was not in California.
“My community and possibly my home is on fire. Many of my friends will lose their homes,” she said.
MARIA SHRIVER
Maria Shriver shared a heart-wrenching video of the devastation caused by the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles that ravaged her neighbourhood.
“Heartbreaking, devastating, beyond belief. Everything is gone,” the former first lady of California, who was previously married to ex-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, wrote on Instagram.
“Our neighbourhood, our restaurants. All our friends have lost everything. We have evacuated, but are safe. But people have lost everything.”
JAMIE LEE CURTIS
Jamie Lee Curtis wrote on Instagram, after the veteran star shared that she and her family had safely evacuated. “It is a terrifying situation and I’m grateful to the firefighters and all of the good Samaritans who are helping people get out of the way of the blaze.”
EUGENE LEVY
Eugene Levy, the Honorary Mayor of the Pacific Palisades community, was also among those fleeing the flames. The Schitt’s Creek star told The Los Angeles Times that the “smoke looked pretty black and intense” in his neighbourhood. Levy’s multistorey $6 million house dated back to the 1950s and had three bedrooms and three bathrooms before it was gone.
WHITNEY CUMMINGS
Whitney Cummings, the comedian who starred in 2 Broke Girls, said she was “seriously considering” moving out of California in the wake of the devastation.
Firefighters are my heroes. This is heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/mJCwFzEy91
— Whitney Cummings (@WhitneyCummings) January 8, 2025
KALEY CUOCO
Kaley Cuoco, the Big Bang Theory actress, echoed the sentiments of many when said on Instagram: “This is heart wrenching to witness what’s happening in our backyard.”
CHRIS PRATT
Actor Chris Pratt said: “Thank you to the brave firefighters and first responders who are working tirelessly to protect lives, homes, and wildlife as they battle fast-moving wildfire fuelled by fierce winds. You are true heroes, and we are endlessly grateful for your sacrifice and courage.”
STEVE GUTTENBERG
Police Academy actor Steve Guttenberg who lives nearby told KTLA 5 that he was urging people who have left their cars on Palisades Drive to leave their keys behind so they can move the cars to make room for incoming fire trucks.
“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,” he explained. “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.”
MORE CELEBRITIES AFFECTED
Other Hollywood figures who call the area home include Reese Witherspoon, Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Bradley Cooper, Diane Keaton, Miley Cyrus, Adam Sandler, Michael Keaton, Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann and Kathleen Kennedy.
Meanwhile, Harrison Ford was forced to evacuate amid the wildfires ravaging all over Los Angeles.
The 82-year-old purchased his massive Brentwood estate for $12.6 million in 2011.
HARRY, MEGHAN, OPRAH’S HOMES UNDER THREAT
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have their power cut at their sprawling, $46 million California estate as wildfires continue to burn out of control in the area — and they may have to evacuate if the blaze continues to spread.
Southern California Edison (SCE) confirmed it was considering a “public safety power shutoff” in parts of Santa Barbara County due to the wildfire risk, the Telegraph reported.
Impacted customers in the county, including those in Montecito where the likes of Prince Harry, Meghan and Oprah Winfrey live, were being contacted by the power company.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have lived in their 5,500-square-metre home in the “high fire risk” area with their two children since they left the Royal Family in 2020.
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Originally published as LA wildfires: Celebs in line of fire as homes destroyed, under threat
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