Getty ImagesIn the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisade, strangers usually walk around trying to catch a glimpse of famous people’s homes.
Now, however, its streets are filled with firefighters battling a 3,000-hectare wildfire that is ravaging the area.
Across the city, tens of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as the winds fueled four fires. A state of emergency has been declared, with roads blocked as people flee.
Among them, a number of celebrities were forced to leave their homes, including Star Wars’ Mark Hamill and Shit’s Creek actor Eugene Levy.
James Woods, who has starred in films including Nixon and Casino, described the evacuation of his home on social media and said he wasn’t sure if it was still standing.
“It feels like losing a loved one,” he wrote.
Pacific Palisades is known for being exclusive, with a home selling for an average of $4.5 million as of November 2024, according to Realtor.com.
The North LA neighborhood is bordered to the south by the Pacific Ocean with three miles (4.8 km) of beaches nestled between Malibu and Santa Monica.
It’s known to feel more like a small town than part of a sprawling city, hosting trendy shops, cafes and a farmer’s market.
Getty ImagesThe area was sought after by the famous and wealthy in the 20th century for its seclusion and access to nature compared to increasingly urbanized Los Angeles.
Homes that vary in style from ultra-modern to Mediterranean with leafy, winding streets, often lined with trees or in the foothills of nearby Temescal Canyon.
But the Palisades Fire — which grew from 10 acres to nearly 3,000 in a matter of hours — ruined the area’s idyllic nature.
In an Instagram post, Hamill called the blaze “the worst wildfire in 93 years” — when it burned 18,000 acres, destroying 323 homes in nearby Malibu.
He said he evacuated his home in Malibu “so there were small fires on both sides of the road at the last minute.”
Levy, who rose to fame with his role in the American Pie film series, told local media about the “black and intense” smoke over Temescal Canyon.
“I couldn’t see the fire, but the smoke was very dark,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
Getty ImagesReality stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag lost their family in a fire, Pratt’s sister wrote on Instagram.
“My heart breaks for my brother, Heidi and the kids,” she said.
Miles Teller, known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick, and his wife Kelly also live in the area.
Posting on Instagram, Ms Teller shared a picture of a fire and a broken heart emoji. He urged people to leave bowls of water for the remaining animals as they evacuated their homes.
Meanwhile, actor Steve Guttenberg, of Police Academy fame, stayed behind to help firefighters by moving vehicles to make room for incoming fire engines.
He urged residents to leave keys in abandoned cars to get them off the road.
“We really need people to move the cars,” he told news outlet KTLA. “This is not a parking lot.”
Getty ImagesAs a result of the fire, not only well-known residents were affected – important buildings in the mentioned area are also at risk.
Palisades Charter High School—which served as the film’s set and counts several prominent people as former students— According to local media, the fire caused damage.
The fire school has been used in films including the 1976 horror classic Carrie and Project X, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Former students include director JJ Abrams, musician Will.i.am and actors Forest Whitaker and Katey Sagal.
The Getty Villa is an art museum in the Palisades that has a large collection of artwork and artifacts, including works by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet.
The museum confirmed on Tuesday that it was closed to the public and that some trees and vegetation had burned on the site – but said “no buildings are on fire and staff and collections are safe”.
Star-studded events that were scheduled to take place in the area have also been cancelled.
Premieres of “Unstoppable,” “Better Man” and “Wolfman” have been postponed, as has the live nominations event for the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
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