Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore among celebrities affected by Los Angeles wildfires
Mandy Moore, Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton are among the stars who said Wednesday they had lost homes in the fires.
By The Associated Press ••
NBC Universal, Inc.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass offered an update Wednesday on the multiple wildfires spreading throughout the area. “All of us most be vigilant.”
Wildfires that are burning in and around Los Angeles have burned several celebrities' homes, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton.
California firefighters are battling wind-whipped fires tearing across the area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained Wednesday.
Crystal and his wife, Janice, released a statement Wednesday saying their home of 45 years in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood was lost.
"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,” the Crystals wrote in the statement.
Their neighborhood is a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.” In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.
“Evacuated Malibu so last minute,” wrote Mark Hamill in an Instagram post Tuesday night. “Small fires on both sides of the road as we approached (the Pacific Coast Highway).”
Less than 72 hours before, Hollywood’s highest-wattage stars had convened to walk the Golden Globes’ red carpet, the first major event of the exuberant and, for many, triumphant awards season. The revelry of awards season had quickly been snuffed out, too: Premieres of contenders like “Better Man” and “The Last Showgirl” were canceled, the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations were announced via press release instead of at a live event and weekend events like the AFI Awards were preemptively scrubbed.
The Oscar nominations are also being delayed two days to Jan. 19 and the film academy has extended the voting window to accommodate members affected by the fires.
Here's how celebrities and entertainment companies are being impacted by the fires burning in and around Los Angeles:
Moore lost her home in the Altadena neighborhood near Pasadena.
“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children’s school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too,” Moore wrote on Instagram in a post that included video of devastated streets in the foothill suburb.
“Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together. Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control,” Moore wrote.
Cary Elwes, the star of “The Princess Bride” and numerous other films, wrote on Instagram Wednesday that his family was safe but their home had burned in the coastal Palisades fire. “Sadly we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire,” Elwes wrote.
Hilton posted a news video clip on Instagram and said it included footage of her destroyed home in Malibu. "This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London," she said, referencing her young children.
“The devastation is unimaginable. To know so many are waking up today without the place they called home is truly heartbreaking,” she wrote.
Jamie Lee Curtis said Wednesday on Instagram that her family is safe, but she suggested her neighborhood and possibly her home is on fire. She said many of her friends lost their homes.
“It's 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."
Other stars who have homes in the area include Adam Sandler, Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
Many are awaiting word on whether their homes survived the flames.
James Woods posted footage Tuesday of flames burning through bushes and past palm trees on a hill near his home. The towering orange flames billowed among the landscaped yards between the homes.
“Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,” Woods said in the short video on X. Later, he confirmed he had evacuated and added: “It tests your soul, losing everything at once, I must say.”
oë Meyers / AFP via Getty Images
Businesses along Lake Avenue destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on January 9, 2025.
Michael Nigro/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Firefighters work to extinguish spot fires on a hillside during the Sunset Fire in Los Angeles, California, US, on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.
Ethan Swope/AP
Megan Mantia, left, and her boyfriend Thomas, only first game given, return to Mantia’s fire-damaged home after the Eaton Fire swept through the area, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, Calif.
Ethan Swope/AP
A firefighter battles the Eaton Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif.
Photo by Official Flickr Account of CAL FIRE / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
A view of the coast as flames rage across Los Angeles, California, United States on January 09, 2025.
Ethan Swope/AP
The Eaton Fire burns a vehicle Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif.
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A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills on Jan. 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
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The Palisades Fire burns homes on a hilltop in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
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Cars destroyed by the Eaton Fire sit in the parking area of a burned auto shop on Jan. 08, 2025 in Altadena.
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A home burns during the Eaton Fire in Altadena on Jan. 8, 2025.
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Vehicles burn during the Eaton Fire in Altadena on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
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Police officers remove an elderly resident from her home during the Eaton Fire on January 8, 2025.
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A home is fully engulfed by the Palisades fire along Haverford Avenue in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
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Brothers Glenn Watson, left, and his brother Wes, return to their Pacific Palisades neighborhood to view the damage from the Palisades fire on Jan. 7, 2025.
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Luxury beachfront homes go up in flames in Malibu along Pacific Coast Highway near Carbon Canyon Road in the Palisades Fire on Jan. 8, 2025.
Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A palm tree burns during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7, 2025.
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Strong winds blow embers from homes burning in the Eaton Fire on Jan. 7, 2025 in Pasadena.
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A staircase left standing after a house burned during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
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Firefighters stage during the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades.
AP Photo/Ethan Swope
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
AP Photo/Etienne Laurent
A person tries to hose down embers from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
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Firefighters battle flames from the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades.
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Flames from a brush fire pushed by gusting Santa Ana winds burn a home on Jan. 7, 2025 in Pacific Palisades.
Etienne Laurent/AP
A firefighter battles the advancing Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades Jan. 7, 2025.
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Smoke from the Palisades Fire fills the sky as seen from Santa Monica Beach, with the Santa Monica Pier and Ferris Wheel in the foreground on Jan. 7, 2025.
Jonathan Lopez
This image of the Palisades Fire was captured from a vantage point at the Centinela Hospital
Medical Center in Inglewood.
Mirella Rodriguez
A distant view of the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7, 2025.
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A car burns during the Pacific Palisades fire on Jan. 7, 2025.
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Lifeguard towers go up in flames along Malibu beach in the Palisades Fire on Jan. 7, 2025.
Erika Robles
A view of the Palisades Fire from East Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025.
Rod and Jennifer Taylor
Smoke rises over a hill in the Pacific Palisades area.
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Smoke from the Palisades Fire as seen from LAX Jan. 7, 2025.
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A view of flames Jan. 7, 2025 in Pacific Palisades.
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A view of flames Jan. 7, 2025 in Pacific Palisades.
A view of the Palisades Fire on the LA County coast Jan. 7, 2025.
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Firefighters run as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
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A brush fire burns near homes in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
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People watch the Palisades fire from the California Incline in Santa Monica on Jan. 7, 2025.
A house burns in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
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A fire department bulldozer moves abandoned cars in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
A view of Santa Monica Pier with smoke from the Palisades Fire in the background on Jan. 7, 2025.
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People evacuate along Sunset Boulevard as the Palisades Fire burns amid a powerful windstorm on Jan. 7, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Smoke and fire from the Palisades Fire fills the Santa Monica skyline as seen from Santa Monica Beach on Jan. 7, 2025.
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A brush fire burns near homes in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
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A firefighter battles the blaze on El Medio Avenue during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7, 2025.
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A firefighter in front of a burning structure during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7, 2025.
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A playground burns in a residential neighborhood during the Eaton fire in Pasadena on Jan. 7, 2025.
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Firefighters battle flames during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7, 2025.
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Elderly patients are quickly evacuated into an armored vehicle as embers and flames approach during the Eaton fire in Pasadena on Jan. 7, 2025.
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Elderly patients are quickly evacuated into emergency vehicles as embers and flames approach during the Eaton fire in Pasadena on Jan. 7, 2025.
Nick Ut/Getty Images
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – January 08: A house is on fire from the Eaton Fire in the Altadena neighborhood on January 08, 2025 in PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – JANUARY 8: A house in on fire as residents try to escape the site in Pacific Palisades, California, Los Angeles, United States on January 8, 2025. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
File. A house in on fire as residents try to escape the site in Pacific Palisades, California, Los Angeles, United States on January 8, 2025. A fast-moving wildfire has forced 30,000 people to evacuate, with officials warning that worsening winds could further escalate the blaze.
Nick Ut/Getty Images
A firefighter sprays water on a house to protect it from the Eaton Fire in the Altadena neighborhood on January 08, 2025 in PASADENA, CALIFORNIA. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the death toll has risen, confirming three more people have died. Additionally, an undetermined amount of homes and businesses have been destroyed. (Photo by Nick Ut/Getty Images)
Impact of the fire so far
Officials didn’t give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the wildfire, but they said at least 70,000 residents were under evacuation orders and nearly 30,000 structures were under threat.
The fire burned down Temescal Canyon, a popular hiking area surrounded by dense neighborhoods of multimillion-dollar homes. Flames jumped famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”
The Palisades fire also destroyed the historic ranch house that belonged to Hollywood legend Will Rogers. It was among multiple structures destroyed at both Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park. The historic Topanga Ranch Motel, built by William Randolph Hearst in 1929, also burned down.
Rogers’ ranch, built on land he bought in the 1920s, occupied some 359 acres in what is now Pacific Palisades. It included a 31-room ranch house, a stable, golf course and riding trails. His wife donated it to California State Parks in 1944.
The Critics Choice Awards, originally scheduled for Sunday, have been postponed until Feb. 26.
Film studios canceled two movie premieres due to the fire and windy weather, the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park closed for the day due to the smoky and windy conditions and the J. Paul Getty Trust said two of its museums, the Getty Villa and Getty Center, would remain closed for the next few days.
Universal Studios also canceled shooting for numerous series, including “Hacks,” “Ted Lasso” and “Suits LA.”
The Walt Disney Co. closed its headquarters in Burbank, and canceled production on several series, including “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Doctor Odyssey.” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” which tapes in Hollywood, was canceled for Wednesday and will instead air a repeat.
The production pauses added to further disruptions to the film and TV industry in Los Angeles, including the cancellation of the premiere to Universal’s “Wolf Man” and postponement of the American Film Institute awards gala, scheduled for Friday.
The Associated Press' Jake Coyle, Jocelyn Noveck, Lindsey Bahr and Jonathan Landrum Jr. contributed to this report.
A man shares his reaction to losing his home in Malibu, California, during the Palisades Fire.
