Los Angeles fires: “Biblical scene”, “I saw our house go up in smoke”… these celebrities who lost everything in the flames

Celebrities, such as Laeticia Hallyday, widow of singer Johnny Hallyday, and heiress Paris Hilton are among the hundreds of people to have lost their homes in the violent fires in Los Angeles. Here are some of these celebrities.

Laeticia Hallyday

The widow of the rocker star who died in 2017 revealed on Instagram that she had lost her house. “We lost everything… There was nothing left. I saw our house burn to the ground, helpless in the face of the flames which took everything away,” she wrote. “It wasn’t just a house… It was our refuge, our rebirth after the chaos of grief. […] But above all, she helped us to get back on our feet, to rebuild ourselves after the unimaginable absence of my husband,” she confides.

Paris Hilton

Heiress Paris Hilton, 43, described seeing her Malibu home go up in smoke on live television. “I am heartbroken,” the heiress to the Hilton hotel empire added on Instagram. “The devastation is unimaginable.” She then shared a video of her five dogs in the back of her car and said she was sheltering in a hotel.

Anthony Hopkins

Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins, known for his role in “Silence of the Lambs”, also saw his house destroyed, according to American media. Photos appear to show his house devastated but the 87-year-old actor has not yet reacted.

Mark Hamill

“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill said on Instagram that he left his Malibu home with his wife and dog, escaping down a road surrounded by flames. He did not confirm whether his house had been razed but said he and his family were “fleeing for their lives.”

Adam Brody et Leighton Meester

The actor couple, seen on the Golden Globes red carpet on Sunday, also lost their home in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood. People magazine obtained photographs of their home engulfed in flames.

Jamie Lee Curtis

“Our beloved neighborhood is gone. Our home is unscathed. So many others have lost everything,” the Oscar winner wrote on Instagram. She announced Thursday that she was offering $1 million to those affected by the Los Angeles fires.

Miles Teller

“Whiplash” actor Miles Teller also lost the home he shared with his wife Keleigh, according to photos published by People magazine.

Jef Bridges

Oscar-winning actor Jef Bridges, the “Dude” of “The Big Lebowski”, lost his family home in Malibu according to the specialized American site TMZ.

Billy Crystal

The American star, notably featured in the film “When Harry Met Sally”, announced that he had lost his house in a press release, with only the tennis court surviving the flames. “Words cannot describe the extent of the devastation that we are witnessing and experiencing,” the 76-year-old actor said of the house where he had lived for 46 years.

Eugene Levy

According to American media, the house of actor Eugene Levy went up in smoke. The “Schitt’s Creek” star previously told the Los Angeles Times how he walked through the thick cloud of black smoke released by the fires to evacuate.

Cary Elwes

“Princess Bride” actor Cary Elwes’ home was also swallowed. The 62-year-old star previously shared a video of himself in a car showing the orange blaze in the distance and calling the scene “biblical.”

At least 10,000 houses and buildings gone up in smoke

At least 10,000 homes and buildings have already gone up in smoke, including at least 5,000 in the Palisades Fire and between 4,000 and 5,000 in the Eaton Fire, according to Los Angeles County firefighters. These two outbreaks are already the two most destructive in the history of Los Angeles County.

With the destruction of these luxury homes, the fires could be the costliest on record. The private meteorological service AccuWeather estimates the damage at $135 billion to $150 billion, but it could be more.