The raging Palisades fire has affected tens of thousands in Los Angeles, including some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
The life-threatening blaze was first reported late Thursday morning in the affluent area of the Pacific Palisades, which houses celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Tom Hanks and many more. A severe wind storm called the Santa Ana winds exasperated the unpredictable weather, pounding Southern California and spreading the fire to parts of Malibu and Santa Monica.
The L.A. Fire Department said that as of Wednesday morning, the three fires were zero percent contained. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday evening — affecting 39,000 people in the area — and Santa Monica and Malibu have since called for evacuation orders, The Hollywood Reporter said.
“Star Wars” star Mark Hamill is one of the numerous celebrities forced to flee their home in the night, revealing in a post to Instagram that by 7 p.m., his wife, his dog and himself had “Evacuated Malibu so last-minute there (were) small fires on both sides of the road as we approached (Pacific Coast Highway).”
Hamill’s family arrived at their daughter’s home safely. He added in his post, “Most horrific fire since ’93,” expressing he hoped people would “stay safe.”
Other celebrities like “The Hills” stars and couple, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, shared a series of social media posts documenting the fire inching closer to their home. Pratt said online, “I’m watching our house burn down on the security cameras.”
In a video, Montag cried and expressed she was “so sad our house is gone.” But she added, “We’re out safe, and that is the most important thing.”
Eugene Levy, the “Schitt’s Creek” actor and current honorary Mayor of the Pacific Palisades, evacuated his home on Tuesday. He told the LA Times, “The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon . . . the smoke was very dark.”
James Woods also took to social media to say, “I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one.”
Even Hollywood premieres for films like Jennifer Lopez’s “Unstoppable” had to cancel its red carpet due to “safety concerns around heightened wind activity and fire outbreaks.” Universal also canceled the premiere of the horror film “Wolf Man” because of “sensitivities around the worsening weather situation in LA and related evacuations.”
Some unaffected by the fire still shared their condolences. Recent Golden Globe winner Zoe Saldana said, “sympathies with all those affected by the devastating fires in Southern California, particularly those who have lost their homes.”
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