(NewsNation) — Film actor and director Mel Gibson told NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Thursday that his Malibu home has been destroyed by the wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area, calling the experience “devastating.”
“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.”
Gibson told Vargas that he was in Austin, Texas, appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast when he learned the fire had broken out. He says that while speaking with Rogan, he was “ill at ease” because he’d heard his neighborhood was in flames.
How to help victims of LA wildfires
“I thought, ‘Eh, I wonder if my place is still there,’” Gibson said. “When I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there.”
The “Mad Max” actor is one of many Hollywood stars who have lost their homes, with others affected including Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton and Cary Elwes.
-Gibson noted that he was surprised by the intensity of the damage and by what seemed to be the randomness of which houses were destroyed in his neighborhood.
“(The area) was completely toasted. I’ve never seen such a complete burn,” Gibson told Vargas, saying he isn’t sure if he’ll rebuild there but that he was grateful for the generosity of those living nearby and the fact his family was safe.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Los Angeles wildfires have burned nearly 29,000 acres, destroyed thousands of structures and forced almost 180,000 people to evacuate their homes. Five have died as a result of the fires.
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