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Pacific Palisades: The celebrity LA area ravaged by wildfire Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton among celebrities to lose homes in wildfires
(about 11 hours later)
The affluent Los Angeles neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades typically has strangers walking around, trying to catch a glimpse of celebrities' houses. Billy Crystal said he and his wife, Janice, were "heartbroken"
Now, though, its streets are filled with firefighters battling a 3,000-acre wildfire that is ravaging the area. Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton are among the celebrities who have lost homes in the deadly wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area.
Across the city, tens of thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes as winds stoke four fires. A state of emergency has been declared, leaving roads gridlocked as people flee. More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed as six separate blazes burn in and around the city, which is dotted with film stars' mansions.
Among them, a number of famous faces have been forced to flee their homes, including Star Wars' Mark Hamill and Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy. Some of the worst devastation was in the scenic enclave of Pacific Palisades, where a wind-whipped inferno exploded from several hundred acres to more than 15,000 in size since Tuesday.
A swathe of the neighborhood, which is a haven of hillside streets nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and winding down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean, was reduced to ash.
Follow live updates on the LA wildfiresFollow live updates on the LA wildfires
LA blaze reportedly engulfs school made famous by Hollywood
Watch: Smoke billows as thousands evacuate in LA
'Run for your lives!': Residents abandon cars to flee fire on foot
Timelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfireTimelapse shows rapid spread of Palisades wildfire
James Woods, who has starred in films including Nixon and Casino, described evacuating his home on social media, and said he was not sure if it was still standing. In maps: Thousands of acres on fire in LA
"It feels like losing a loved one," he wrote. What it's like inside LA's real life apocalypse movie
Pacific Palisades is known for being exclusive, with a house costing $4.5m (£3.6m) on average as of November 2024, according to Realtor.com. Actor James Woods says his Pacific Palisades home is gone
The north LA neighbourhood is bordered to the south by a three-mile (4.8km) stretch of beaches on the Pacific Ocean, nestled between Malibu and Santa Monica. Actor James Woods, who starred in films including Nixon and Casino, broke down in tears on CNN as he described losing his Pacific Palisades property.
It is known to feel more like a small town than part of a sprawling city, hosting trendy shops, cafes and a farmers' market. "One day you're swimming in the pool and the next day it's all gone," he told the network.
He wiped away tears as he described how his wife's eight-year-old niece offered them her piggybank to help rebuild their house.
Watch: Moment friends abandon house as Palisades fire closes in
Actor Billy Crystal said in a statement that he and his wife, Janice, were "heartbroken" by the loss of their Pacific Palisades home where they had lived in since 1979.
The When Harry Met Sally star said in a statement: "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."
Paris Hilton - pictured here in December - said it was "something no one should ever have to experience"
Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler and Michael Keaton also reportedly have homes in the Pacific Palisades.
Hotel heiress Paris Hilton said she had lost her home in Malibu.
She wrote in an Instagram post: "Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience.
"This home is where we built so many precious memories... My heart and prayers are going out to every family affected by this fires."
Watch: Palisades fire seen burning from space in satellite video
Miles Teller, best known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick, and his wife, Keleigh Sperry, reportedly lost their home, too, in the Pacific Palisades.
Posting on Instagram, Sperry shared a picture of the fires and a broken heart emoji.
She urged people to leave bowls of water for animals left behind as they evacuate their homes.
Other stars forced to flee their homes include Star Wars' actor Mark Hamill and Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy.
In a post on Instagram, Hamill called the blaze the "most horrific" since 1993, when 18,000 acres burned, destroying 323 homes in Malibu.
He said he had evacuated his Malibu house "so last-minute there [were] small fires on both sides of the road".
Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry
Eugene Levy described black smoke appearing on the horizon before he evacuatedEugene Levy described black smoke appearing on the horizon before he evacuated
The area became sought after by celebrities and the wealthy in the 20th Century because of its seclusion and access to nature, compared to the increasingly urbanising Los Angeles. Levy described to local media "black and intense" smoke over Temescal Canyon.
Homes that vary in style from ultra-modern to Mediterranean line leafy, winding streets, often obscured from view by trees or nestled into the foothills of the nearby Temescal Canyon.
But the Palisades fire - which grew from 10 acres to nearly 3,000 in a matter of hours - has shattered the area's idyllic nature.
In a post on Instagram, Hamill called the blaze the "most horrific fire since '93" - when 18,000 acres burned, destroying 323 homes in nearby Malibu.
He said he evacuated his home in Malibu "so last-minute there [were] small fires on both sides of the road".
Levy, who rose to fame for his role in film series American Pie, told local media about "black and intense" smoke over Temescal Canyon.
"I couldn't see any flames but the smoke was very dark," he told the Los Angeles Times."I couldn't see any flames but the smoke was very dark," he told the Los Angeles Times.
Actor James Woods does not know if his home still stands Actor Cameron Mathison also shared a clip of his house reduced to smouldering ruins. "We are safe. But this is what's left of our beautiful home," the General Hospital star wrote.
Reality stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag lost their family home in the fire, Pratt's sister wrote on Instagram. "Our home where our kids were raised and where they wanted to raise their own someday."
"I am beyond heartbroken for my brother, Heidi and the kids," she said. Legendary songwriter Diane Warren, who composed classic hits including If I Could Turn Back Time and I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, also lost her home.
Miles Teller, best known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick, and his wife Keleigh, also live in the area. She posted a picture of the beachfront near her house, saying that the property she's had for close to three decades was gone.
Posting on Instagram, Mrs Teller shared a picture of the fires and a broken heart emoji. She urged people to leave bowls of water for animals left behind as they evacuate their homes. Actor Steve Guttenberg, known for Police Academy, stayed to help firefighters by moving cars to clear a path for incoming fire trucks.
Meanwhile, actor Steve Guttenberg, known for Police Academy, stayed to help firefighters by moving cars in order to make room for incoming fire trucks. He urged fellow Pacific Palisades residents to leave the keys in their abandoned cars so they could be moved.
He urged residents to leave the keys in their abandoned cars so they could be moved out the way. It is not just famous residents affected by the wildfire.
"We really need people to move their cars," he told news outlet KTLA. "This is not a parking lot." The Palisades Charter High School - used in the 1976 horror classic Carrie  - has been devastated.
It is not just famous residents affected by the wildfire - notable buildings in the area are under threat as well. Former students include director JJ Abrams, musician Will.i.am, and actor Forest Whitaker.
The Palisades Charter High School - which has served as a set for movies and counts several notable people as former students - has been damaged by fire, local media reported. Star-studded events also were canceled.
The fire-stricken school was used in films including 1976 horror classic Carrie and Project X, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Film premieres for Unstoppable, Better Man and Wolfman have been called off, as has the Screen Actors Guild Awards live ceremony, while the Oscar nominations event was postponed.
Former students include director JJ Abrams, musician Will.i.am, and actors Forest Whitaker and Katey Sagal. Meanwhile, a new blaze broke out on Wednesday night, the Sunset fire, in the Hollywood Hills, near where the world-famous Hollywood sign nestles in the hillside.
The Getty Villa is an art museum in the Palisades that has a large collection of artworks and artefacts, including works by Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.
The museum confirmed on Tuesday that it had closed to the public and that some trees and vegetation on site had burned - but said that "no structures are on fire, and staff and the collection remain safe".
Star-studded events due to take place in the area have also been cancelled.
Film premieres for Unstoppable, Better Man and Wolfman have been called off, as has the Screen Actors Guild Awards live nominations event.