Flames of Despair: LA Stars Reflect on Losing Homes to Wildfires

Among the stars who have lost their homes due to the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles region are Jeff Bridges and Mel Gibson.

The Oscar-winning actor Bridges, known for Crazy Heart and the series The Old Man, has lost his Malibu house which he and his siblings inherited from their parents.

Mel Gibson, another Oscar-winning actor, also disclosed that his Malibu residence has been “completely incinerated” while he was away recording a podcast with Joe Rogan.

A series of significant wind-driven fires across California have resulted in 10 fatalities, devastated communities, and forced thousands to flee their residences, including areas filled with celebrity mansions.

As six distinct infernos burn in and around the city, thousands of structures have been obliterated amidst the mansions of film stars.

Other famous individuals who have lost their homes include Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Adam Brody, and Milo Ventimiglia.

Best known for his performances in Gilmore Girls and Heroes, Ventimiglia was seen returning to his charred residence.

“You begin to think about all the memories in various parts of the house,” Ventimiglia remarked on CBS Evening News. “Then you observe the neighboring houses and everything around, and your heart aches.”

On Tuesday, Ventimiglia and his spouse evacuated their home, observing the flames consume it via security cameras.

The 47-year-old actor acknowledged that his character, Jack Pearson in the TV series This Is Us, suffers from smoke inhalation after his residence burns down in the popular show. “It’s not lost on me, life reflecting art,” he stated.

Hilton, the hotel heiress, confirmed earlier this week that she had lost her house in Malibu.

In a recent Instagram update on Friday, Hilton shared a video showcasing the remains of her home. “The heartbreak is simply indescribable,” she said. “It’s devastating beyond expression.

“This isn’t solely my tale,” she added. “Countless individuals have lost everything. It’s not merely the walls and roofs – it encapsulates the memories that turned those structures into homes. It’s the photographs, the mementos, the invaluable fragments of our existence

“And yet, amid this suffering, I recognize how fortunate I am. My loved ones, my children, and my pets are secure.”

Hilton also expressed gratitude to “the firefighters, first responders, and volunteers risking their lives tofight these blazes”.

Among the most severe destruction was in the picturesque area of Pacific Palisades, where a wind-driven fire swelled from several hundred acres to over 15,000 in size since Tuesday.

A portion of the community, a refuge of hillside streets nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and descending to shores along the Pacific Ocean, was obliterated.

James Woods, the actor known for roles in movies like Nixon and Casino, broke down during a CNN interview as he recounted the loss of his Pacific Palisades residence.

“One day you are enjoying the pool and the next it’s all vanished,” he expressed to the network.

Billy Crystal remarked in a statement that he and his spouse Janice were “devastated” by the destruction of their Pacific Palisades home, where they have resided since 1979.

The When Harry Met Sally star said in a statement: “We brought up our children and grandchildren here.

“Every corner of our residence was filled with affection. Beautiful recollections that cannot be taken away.

“We are understandably heartbroken but with the affection from our children and friends, we will endure this.”

A residence allegedly owned by Adam Brody, star of the popular Netflix series Nobody Wants This, and his wife Leighton Meester, from Gossip Girl, was also consumed.

Jurassic World actress Daniella Pineda also lost her residence, revealing she fled as the fire advanced with only her dog and laptop.

“I have one pair of shoes left to my name,” she mentioned. “I’m thankful to be alive. People truly rally for one another when calamity strikes.”

The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, who are wed, also lost their home in the conflagration.

“I’m witnessing our house burn on the security feeds,” Pratt shared in a post.

Montag expressed: “So our home is ablaze and we managed to escape in time, yet I keep replaying in my head the items I should have saved, but we are safe and that is the most crucial thing, and Spencer is with me.”

In a subsequent post, she tearfully expressed that she was “devastated our house has vanished” and they had lost “everything we strived to achieve.”

Singer and This Is Us actress Mandy Moore shared a video of the devastation as she evacuated. “Grateful for my family and pets making it out last night before it was too late (and endless thanks to friends for taking us in and providing us with clothes and blankets).

“Honestly, I’m in disbelief and feeling numb for all that so many have lost, including my own family. My children’s school is destroyed.

“Our favorite restaurants, annihilated. Numerous friends and loved ones have lost everything as well. Our community is shattered, but we will be here to rebuild together.”

TV host Ricki Lake expressed to followers that she had lost her “dream home”, adding: “I mourn alongside all those suffering during this cataclysmic event.”

Actors Sir Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Anna Faris, and Cary Elwes also reportedly lost their residences.

Miles Teller, renowned for his part in Top Gun: Maverick, and his spouse, Keleigh Sperry, allegedly lost their residence in the Pacific Palisades.

Sharing on Instagram, Sperry posted an image of the flames along with a broken heart emoji.

Sheurged individuals to set out bowls of water for creatures left behind as they evacuate their residences.

Other celebrities compelled to flee consist of Star Wars’ performer Mark Hamill and Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy.

In an Instagram post, Hamill referred to the wildfire as the “most dreadful” since 1993, a year when 18,000 acres burned, leading to the destruction of 323 homes in Malibu.

He mentioned that he had evacuated his Malibu residence “so last-minute there [were] small blazes on both sides of the roadway”.

Levy recounted to local media “black and heavy” smoke above Temescal Canyon.

“I couldn’t observe any flames, but the smoke was very dark,” he conveyed to the Los Angeles Times.

Jamie Lee Curtis mentioned that her residence was secure, but the circumstances were “terrible”.

“Clearly, there have been devastating fires in numerous locations,” she remarked. “This is literally where I reside. Everything – the market, I shop at, the schools where my children attend. Friends – numerous, numerous friends – have now lost their homes.”

Curtis and her spouse, fellow actor Christopher Guest, committed $1m (£800,000) “to initiate a fund of assistance for our wonderful city and state and the remarkable individuals who live and cherish it”.

Actor Cameron Mathison also shared a video of his house reduced to smoldering debris. “We are safe. But this is what remains of our beautiful dwelling,” the General Hospital star posted.

“Our residence where our children grew up and where they wished to establish their own someday.”

Renowned songwriter Diane Warren, known for creating timeless songs such as If I Could Turn Back Time and I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, also suffered the loss of her home.

She shared an image of the coastline near her property, indicating that her residence, which she had for nearly thirty years, was lost.

Actor Steve Guttenberg, famous for Police Academy, remained to assist firefighters by relocating vehicles to create a pathway for incoming fire engines.

He urged other Pacific Palisades inhabitants to leave their keys in their abandoned vehicles to facilitate their relocation.

In the meantime, the Palisades Charter High School – featured in the 1976 horror classic Carrie – has suffered extensive destruction.

The Oscar nominations have been delayed by two days due to the wildfires, and various star-studded events have also been cancelled.

Film premieres for Unstoppable, Better Man, and Wolfman have been cancelled, along with the announcement of the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations.

Additionally, a new fire ignited on Wednesday evening, named the Sunset fire, in the Hollywood Hills, close to where the renowned Hollywood sign is nestled in the hillside.

Other stars who have reportedly lost their homes include:

• John C Reilly
• Cobie Smulders
• John Goldman
• Tina Knowles
• Anthony Hopkins
• Rikki Lake
• Anna Faris
• Jennifer Grey
• Denise Crosby
• Melissa Rivers
• Cary Elwes
• Carolyn Murphy