With fierce winds fuelling the infernos around the Los Angeles area, thousands of people have been affected by the California wildfires. Starting on 7 January and spreading at an alarming rate, the LA wildfires have destroyed homes and communities, with the death toll rising to 24 as of 13 January.
The blaze originated with the Pacific Palisades – an area nestled between Santa Monica and Malibu, in Northern LA.
With street names commonly heard on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Selling Sunset, these areas boast some of the most expensive real estate in the country. Which is perhaps why there's such a huge amount of people searching on Google for 'celebrities who lost their homes in the LA fires', according to Google Trends.
Many of them have since responded to the devastating loss, and some have joined relief efforts.
Paris Hilton
Posting on social media, Paris Hilton revealed that she had lost her Malibu mansion in the fire – a home said to be worth nearly £7 million. The socialite shared a video of her walking through the ruins, writing, ‘I’m standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable. It feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces.’
Reassuring fans that she and her family were ‘safe,’ Paris shared, ‘To all the people who have lost their homes, their memories, and their beloved pets. My heart aches for those still in harm’s way or mourning greater losses.’
Despite her own heartbreak, Paris quickly reached out to her community by launching a relief fund – donating $100,000 for displaced families, as well as pledging to match donations from others.
Mel Gibson
Another Malibu-based property, Mel Gibson's Spanish-style villa burned down while the actor-director out of state.
Opening up about the loss of the home he’d lived in for 15 years, Mel shared, ‘It’s kind of devastating, it’s emotional. I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff because it’s all in cinders.’
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester
Among those affected in the Pacific Palisades area was Nobody Wants This actor Adam Brody and Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester. The couple evacuated their home with their two children and their pets, with photos posted online showing flames ripping through the property.
The Hadid's
Yolanda Hadid's iconic Malibu mansion - well known for appearing on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - was another property destroyed by the fires.
Yolanda's model daughter Bella revealed that her childhood home had been caught in the blaze, showing a snap of the house on fire with the caption ‘childhood bedroom.'
Billy Crystal
Comedian Billy Crystal and his wife lost their Pacific Palisades family home of 45 years.
The When Harry Met Sally actor and his wife shared, ‘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’ll get through this.’
They also shared prayers for fire fighters, adding, ‘The Pacific Palisades is a resilient community of amazing people, and we know in time it will rise again. It is our home.’
Anna Faris
Scary Movie star Anna Faris lost her hillside home in the fires, forced to evacuate with only a few personal items. While the actor did not make a statement herself, her rep shared, ‘Anna and her family are safe and grateful.’
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon after losing her home, revealing she felt that she was about to ‘cry.’ The Halloween actor said, ‘This is f*cking gnarly. This is literally where I live. Everything. The market I shop in, the schools my kids go to… Many, many, many, many friends now have lost their homes, so it is a really awful situation.’
Jamie shared a video of her home in flames, writing, ‘Our beloved neighbourhood is gone.’
Mandy Moore
Mandy described the loss of her Altadena home as ‘utterly devastating,' revealing that ‘miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing. For now. It’s not liveable, but it’s mostly intact.’
The star also touched on feeling ‘survivors guilt,’ saying, ‘Everyone we know lost everything. Every house on our street is gone. Feeling weird survivors guilt.’
Mandy is another famous face who has rallied around her community, partnering with local charities to support displaced residents in the aftermath. However, after sharing a Go Fund me for her brother-and-sister-in-law, the star faced backlash.
Responding to hate, she said, ‘People questioning whether we’re helping out our own family or attributing some arbitrary amount of money google says someone has is NOT helpful of empathetic. We just love most of our life in a fire too. Kindly F off. No one is forcing you to do anything.’
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt
The reality stars, known for appearing on The Hills, lost their Malibu home in the wildfires - revealing that the fire quickly engulfed their property after they evacuated with their sons, Gunner and Ryker.
Sharing footage of LA Firefighters attempting to control the fire from across the mountains, Spencer’s sister Stephanie shared, ‘Just spoke to my dad – he tried to save my brother’s house but the wind is so strong there was nothing he could do. Even the fire station in the Palisades has burned down. The Pacific Palisades is completely on fire. No one is there.’
The pair recently returned to the property, sharing online a handful of items which survived the blaze – including several crystals, a concrete fountain, and kettlebells.
Milo Ventimiglia
Actor Milo Ventimiglia and his wife – who is nine months pregnant and due any day now – revealed how they watched their house burn down via their security cameras. Returning to the wreckage, the Gilmore Girls actor explained, ‘You start thinking about all the memories in different parts of the house and whatnot. And then you see your neighbours’ houses and everything, kind of around, and your heart just breaks.’
Tina Knowles
Tina Knowles – mother of Beyonce and Solange – revealed on social media that she had lost her ‘tiny little bungalow on the water in Malibu’ to the wildfires.
Opening up, she shared ‘My sacred happy place… Now it is gone. God bless all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions,' before urging everyone to buy air purifiers.
Eugene Levy
The Schitt’s Creek favourite was another celebrity who lost their home to the blaze. Eugene previously revealed to the LA Times that he had been caught in a gridlock while attempting to evacuate the wildfires, saying, ‘I couldn’t see any flames, but the smoke was very dark.’
Diane Warren
Legendary singer-songwriter Diane revealed on Instagram that her beach house had been affected by the fires, writing, ‘I’ve had this house for almost 30 years. It looks like it was lost in the fire. There’s a rainbow shining on it, which I’m taking as a sign of hope for all the creatures who have been affected by this tragedy.’
A passionate animal welfare activist, the star quickly reassured fans that her animals and rescue ranch were ‘okay though, which is the most important thing.’
Charlotte Roberts is a news and entertainment writer at Grazia UK. She spends her days covering everything celebrity, culture, and entertainment.