Last Updated on February 25, 2025 by Mrunal & Jiten
Deadly wildfires are devastating the Los Angeles area, prompting evacuations and causing people, including numerous celebrities, to lose their homes.
As of Sunday afternoon, at least 16 people had died as the fires continue to rage in California, and more than 40,000 acres have burned. According to CalFire, more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed.
Evacuation orders throughout the Los Angeles area now cover 105,000 residents. Another 87,000 residents have been warned that they may have to evacuate.
Among those evacuating was “This Is Us” star Mandy Moore, who posted on Instagram that she was staying with friends and didn’t know “if our place made it.” On Thursday, Moore shared an update that “miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing” for now. “It’s not livable but mostly intact,” she said on Instagram.
But Moore said she and her husband, musician Taylor Goldsmith, “lost our garage and back house,” as well as Goldsmith’s studio, which had instruments and equipment in it.
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These celebrities have spoken out about losing their homes in the wildfires.
Mel Gibson opened to NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” about losing his home in the Los Angeles wildfires.
“It’s emotional,” Gibson said. “I had my stuff there. I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff because it’s all in cinders.”
Jennifer Garner says she ‘lost a friend’in wildfires and now feels ‘guilty’ in own home
Gibson revealed that he lost his home, which was destroyed while he was appearing on the world’s No. 1 podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” in Austin, Texas.
“I thought, ‘Eh, I wonder if my place is still there,’ ” Gibson said. “When I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there.”
Joshua Jackson’s Topanga Canyon residence, the home where the actor spent his early childhood, perished in the firestorm the weekend of Jan. 10, Jackson’s publicist Dominique Appel confirmed in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.
The Vancouver, Canada-born actor was raised in Topanga until the age of 8. Jackson later purchased his childhood home in 2001.
“First and most importantly, all the people closest to me affected by the fire are OK. My daughter, my family, my neighbors all made it out safely,” Jackson said in the statement. “Sadly, my beautiful home did not survive the fires. But today, I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by the people I love.”
Read more:Joshua Jackson loses ‘beautiful’ childhood home in Los Angeles wildfires
Eric Braeden, 83, told “ET” co-host Kevin Frazier he left “just in time.”
The “Young and the Restless” star’s heartbreak was chronicled during a recent “Entertainment Tonight” segment as the LA wildfires continue to decimate large swaths of the country’s second largest city.
“Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, he said during a tour of the rubble that was once his home. “It’s all burnt down man, look at that.”
Braeden candidly opened up to Frazier about his emotions after the Palisades Fire destroyed his family home.
Keleigh Teller, the model and wife of actor Miles Teller, shared a before-and-after of their burnt-down home in a Thursday Instagram post.
“To everyone reaching out I can’t thank you enough, your kind hearts have meant the world, I’ll never forget them. Community has come out stronger than I could imagine, pacific palisades I love you beyond measure you are a little slice of heaven, we will come back stronger than ever,” she wrote in the caption.
She continued: “If you’re in the LA area PLEASE get out if you can. I wish I grabbed my wedding dress .. wish I did a lot different but it doesn’t matter, stay safe, get out. There are no words. THANK YOU to the first responders fighting.”
Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg are encouraging their followers to help other LA wildfire victims after losing their own home.
“Was supposed to be our forever home, but nothing lasts forever. Thankfully our family is safe, however other LA fire victims aren’t as fortunate. Please donate to them if you can,” the couple captioned a video of their destroyed home. Greenberg shared a link to a GoFundMe page that compiles “verified fundraisers for people affected by the recent wildfires in Los Angeles County.”
“It is a tremendous loss, but ultimately our family is safe and that’s what’s most important. While we appreciate the condolences, we’d much rather direct the energy towards the victims of the LA fire who could really use the help in these trying times,” the “How to Make It in America” actor said in a statement provided to USA TODAY on Friday. “Please donate to them here if you can.”
“Our entire neighborhood is gone,” Chung wrote over a video of the razed-down Palisades in an Instagram Story Thursday. In a following post she wrote, “We are grateful to our brave firefighters and first responders and pray we don’t lose any more lives to these catastrophic fires. Stay safe and stay vigilant.”
Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges’ family home in Malibu, which his siblings inherited from his late parents, has been lost in the Palisades Fire, a rep confirmed to USA TODAY Friday. Bridges himself lives in Santa Barbara.
The home was reportedly near the house of Candy Spelling, mother of Tori Spelling, according to The Hollywood Reporter and TMZ.
Candy Spelling shared the home with her late husband, television producer Aaron Spelling, telling TMZ: “I’m in shock and processing this massive loss for our family. I am beyond grateful for the memories. It was truly a wonderful gift to have.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Spelling’s rep for comment.
As Milo Ventimiglia and his wife Jarah Mariano expect the arrival of their first child, the two have tragically lost their home to the Los Angeles wildfires.
The Emmy-nominated actor and “This Is Us” alum revealed his family’s Malibu home burned down during an interview with CBS News published Thursday. As part of the interview, Ventimiglia took a tour of his neighborhood with CBS host Tony Dokoupil to survey the damage to his home, which proved to be an emotional visit.
“You start thinking about all the memories in different parts of the house and what not,” a visibly choked up Ventimiglia said. “And then you see your neighbors’ houses and everything kind of around, and your heart just breaks.”
‘Your heart just breaks’:Milo Ventimiglia reveals Malibu home burned down in LA wildfires
On Thursday, Jhené Aiko revealed she lost her home to the Los Angeles fires. “praying for everyone this morning,” Aiko wrote on Instagram. “those who lost their home. those who lost their life’s work, those who lost their life. praying for my city.”
She added, “praying for the wild life and lost pets. praying for the world. let suffering be a gift; a lesson in compassion.”
In a follow-up slide, Aiko revealed her and her children’s “home is gone” and “burned to the ground with all of our things inside.”
The R&B singer shares son Noah Hasani with Big Sean and daughter Namiko Love from a previous relationship.
“Thankful we still have each other,” she concluded. “starting from scratch. My heart is so heavy.”
Tina Knowles shared a video on Instagram that she took over the weekend at her “tiny little bungalow on the water in Malibu,” which has been destroyed.
“It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred Happy Place,” she wrote. “Now it is gone !!”
Knowles thanked “all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions,” adding that “this could have been so much worse” without them.
“The Princess Bride” star Cary Elwes shared on Instagram that “sadly we did lose our home” in the fires but that he is thankful he and his family are safe.
“We are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire,” he wrote. “Our hearts go out to all the families impacted by this tragic event and we also wish to extend our gratitude to all the firefighters, first responders and law enforcement who worked so tirelessly through the night and are still at it.”
Elwes previously shared a video taken from inside a car as he evacuated Malibu and captioned the clip, “#Biblical.”
Paris Hilton said on Instagram she was “heartbroken beyond words” after losing her home and watching it being destroyed on television.
“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,” she wrote. “This home was where we built so many precious memories.”
The “Simple Life” star continued that “while the loss is overwhelming, I’m holding onto gratitude that my family and pets are safe,” adding, “To know so many are waking up today without the place they called home is truly heartbreaking.”
Live updates:Wind-fueled fires still torching LA area as thousands flee
Billy Crystal shared in a statement to USA TODAY Thursday that his home in the Pacific Palisades, where he and his wife lived for more than 40 years, burned down.
“Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing,” the actor said. “We ache for our friends and neighbors who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy.”
“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.”
Ricki Lake shared on Instagram that she and her husband Ross “lost our dream home” in the fires and that she is heartbroken that “it’s all gone.”
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“It was our heaven on earth,” she wrote. “The place where we planned to grow old together.”
Lake continued, “This loss is immeasurable. It’s the spot where we got married 3 years ago. I grieve along with all of those suffering during this apocalyptic event.”
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Melissa Rivers, daughter of Joan Rivers, told CNN her house was destroyed after she evacuated with “what’s on our backs” and only a few items.
“To be 100% honest I grabbed my mom’s Emmy, a photo of my dad and a drawing that my mother had done of my son and I,” she said.
“My heart is so broken,” she continued, adding that her area has been “wiped off the map.”
A representative for Anna Faris confirmed to People magazine that the “Scary Movie” star’s house burned down.
“Anna and her family are safe and very grateful,” the representative said.
In a series of Snapchats, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag documented their experience of evacuating their home and subsequently watching it burn down.
In a TikTok on Wednesday, Pratt shared a look at security camera footage showing his house’s deck being engulfed in flames. He also shared a photo of the nursery on fire.
“Watching this live will haunt me forever,” Pratt wrote, adding that “watching all the hard work of the last 15 years go up in flames” was one of the “worst feelings of my life.”
James Woods said in an emotional on-air interview with CNN that his home was destroyed after he and his family were in the “exact epicenter of the fire” and were forced to evacuate with the “clothes on our back.”
‘A heavy day’:Adrien Brody cries accepting best actor award amid California wildfires
“There was so much chaos. It was like an inferno,” he said. “Every house was on fire around us.”
The “Hercules” star added, “One day you’re swimming in the pool and the next day it’s all gone.”
On Friday, Woods shared good news: His house survived the flames.
“A miracle has happened. We managed to get to our property and our home, that we were told is gone forever, is still standing,” he wrote on X, sharing a video of the destruction around him. “In this hellish landscape ‘standing’ is relative, but smoke and other damage is not like the utter destruction around us.”
Diane Warren shared on Instagram that it “looks like” her beach house, which she has had for almost 30 years, burned down.
“The animals and the rescue ranch are OK tho which is the most important thing,” she added. “Stay safe everyone.”
“All My Children” star Cameron Mathison shared footage on Instagram showing “what’s left of our beautiful home,” which burned down.
“Our home where our kids were raised and where they wanted to raise their own someday,” he wrote. “Thanks to all who reached out and checked in.”
In an appearance on “Good Morning America,” Mathison said he “can’t sleep” after he “lost my home and everything that I own,” including “irreplaceable” items like baby photos.
“I have this hoodie and a pair of pants and two pairs of sneakers left,” he said. “That’s it.”
“America’s Next Top Model” star Tyra Banks shared that her Los Angeles home was destroyed in the deadly California wildfires. during a Jan. 20 appearance on the Australian show “Sunrise.”
“I haven’t really talked about it but, yeah, I have,” Banks said. “I just didn’t want to pull a lot of attention to me, I feel that there’s a lot of people that need that attention, so I haven’t really talked about it. But I can’t sit here and not tell the truth, that, yeah, we lost our house.”
She and boyfriend Louis Bélanger-Martin were at a friend’s house in Australia when they discovered the loss.
“I just stayed in that moment,” she said. “And then we went home and cried and we had our moment.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Banks’ representative for comment.
This story was updated to add new information.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, John Bacon, Taijuan Moorman, Edward Segarra, Jay Stahl, KiMi Robinson and Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY; Reuters
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