Thousands of houses and businesses – including the homes of Hollywood actors such as Mel Gibson – have been destroyed in several wildfires tearing across Los Angeles
More than 10,000 buildings have been burnt in the LA wildfires which have so far killed at least 10 people – but a stunning aerial photo shows how one lucky house managed to avoid the blaze entirely.
Thousands have been evacuated amidst the infernos which have ravaged parts of the California city. The first, in the Palisades area, has already devastated thousands of homes and businesses.
A second broke out earlier this week, sparking further evacuations, with five currently burning in total. The Eaton Fire sparked near Pasadena in the Hollywood Hills on Tuesday night and has already burned more than 5,000 buildings and vehicles, including homes, condos and businesses.
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Firefighters in the city began containing the blaze on Thursday, as many celebrities spoke of the trauma of losing their homes. Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson, actor Billy Crystal and Oscar-winning songwriter Diane Warren are among those who have lost their homes in the fires, with fleets of Hollywood stars praising the bravery of firefighters and first responders.
The area impacted at time of reporting measures 25 miles in the north of LA’s downtown. The cause of the blazes – whether manmade or natural – has yet to be established, but the rapid spread has been put down to strong Santa-Ana winds and low humidity, as well as recent drought. Fire chief David Acuna told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that there wasn’t “any conclusive evidence” the fires had been deliberately lit.
Red flag warnings over critical fire conditions remained in place for Los Angeles and parts of southern California in the early hours of Friday. Some 100,000 homes and businesses also remain without power.
Costs of the damage and to the economy incurred by the fires stand at $135-150million, according to estimates calculated by AccuWeather. Official figures have yet to be released by the government.
Speaking of the devastation of losing her family home, reality star and heiress Paris Hilton said she was in “complete shock”. In an Instagram post, the 43-year-old wrote: “I’m standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable.
“When I first saw the news, I was in complete shock — I couldn’t process it. But now, standing here and seeing it with my own eyes, it feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces.” She added: “What breaks my heart even more is knowing that this isn’t just my story. So many people have lost everything.
“It’s not just walls and roofs — it’s the memories that made those houses homes. It’s the photos, the keepsakes, the irreplaceable pieces of our lives. And yet, in this pain, I know I’m incredibly lucky. My loved ones, my babies, and my pets are safe. That’s the most important thing, and I’m holding onto that gratitude with everything I have.”
It was also revealed Hollywood actor Mel Gibson was among those to lose his home, with the blaze striking while he was recording a guest episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “I’ve never seen such a complete burn, it is obviously devastating, it’s emotional,” the Mad Max star told NewsNation.
“You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff. I lived there for about 14, 15 years so it was home to me. I had a lot of personal things there that I can’t get back – everything from photographs to files to just personal things that I had from over the years.
“That can all be replaced. These are only things. And the good news is that those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way.”
