The fires have sparked panicked evacuations in Pacific Palisades, an upscale area packed with multimillion-dollar houses and home to celebrities like Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods were forced to evacuate their houses, while Adam Brody, Anna Faris, Paris Hilton, Heidi Montage and Spencer Pratt are among those who have had their homes destroyed.
The world’s entertainment capital was besieged by out-of-control blazes that were burning on multiple fronts, spread by hurricane-force winds that had left hundreds of firefighters almost helpless.
Dozens of homes were known to have been lost in the swanky Pacific Palisades area, a favourite spot for celebrities where multimillion-dollar houses nestle on beautiful hillsides.
Leighton Meester and Adam Brody, who attended the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills earlier this week, are among the famous names who have lost their homes in the Los Angeles fires. Photos / Getty Images, AFP
Emmy award-winning actor James Woods posted a video on X showing flames engulfing trees and bushes near his home as he got ready to evacuate, and shortly afterward said all the fire alarms were going off.
“I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one,” Woods said.
Star Wars star Mark Hamill told his followers on Instagram that he had fled his Malibu home on Tuesday.
“Evacuated Malibu so last-minute there were small fires on both sides of the road as we approached PCH,” he wrote, referring to the Pacific Coast Highway, a scenic road that connects seafront settlements.
Fire personnel respond to homes destroyed while a helicopter drops water as the Palisades Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 7. Photo / AFP
The Luke Skywalker actor said he and his wife Marilou York, along with a pet dog, had gone to their daughter’s Hollywood home to escape what he dubbed the “most horrific fire since ’93”.
The Cocoon actor expressed frustration at how some of those fleeing the blaze had abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the ritzy neighbourhood.
“If you leave your car ... leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there. It’s really, really important,” he told a live television broadcast.
This Is Us actress Mandy Moore was also among those who fled, taking her children and pets with her, according to an Instagram post.
“Praying and grateful for the first responders,” she wrote.
Reality TV personalities Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt from The Hills, an MTV show that ran until 2010, said they had lost their house after evacuating.
“I’m watching our house burn down on the security cameras,” Pratt wrote on Snapchat.
Page Six has reported that Adam Brody and Leighton Meester’s $6.5m five-bedroom mansion has been destroyed in the wildfire.
Anna Farris has also lost her home, as has hotel heiress and internet personality Paris Hilton.
“This home was where we built so many precious memories. While the loss is overwhelming, I’m holding onto gratitude that my family is safe,” Hilton wrote on Instagram about the home, which she bought with husband Carter Reum in June 2021 for USD $13.5 million.
According to Daily Mail UK, others who have reportedly lost their homes include John Goodman, Miles Teller, Eugene Levy and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis was also forced to evacuate, later writing on Instagram: “Our beloved neighbourhood is gone. Our home is safe. So many others have lost everything.”
Meanwhile, next week’s unveiling of the Oscar nominations was pushed back until January 19, to give Academy members affected by fires more time to cast their ballots this week.
Several other major Hollywood events have already been called off or postponed due to the disaster.
The annual Critics Choice Awards gala, which honors the year’s best in film and television and is attended by dozens of A-list stars, was delayed from this Sunday to January 26.
Pamela Anderson’s premiere for The Last Showgirl was scrapped due to the unfolding disaster.
Paramount cancelled a glitzy red-carpet screening of the Robbie Williams musical film Better Man, and Netflix pulled the plug on a press conference for its Golden Globe winner Emilia Perez.
Filming of Los Angeles-based shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Hacks and Jimmy Kimmel Live was paused.
And the Universal Studios theme park was closed for the day due to the extreme winds and fire conditions.
