Fire Damage

From Yahoo:

“Horrifying Before and After Photos of Celebrities’ L.A. Homes Reveal Brutal Reality of California Wildfire Devastation”

A series of bone-chilling before and after images of celebrities’ multimillion-dollar Los Angeles homes has laid bare the extent of the destruction caused by the California wildfires—revealing a glimpse at the horrifying impact the blazes have had on many communities in the area. Multiple stars, including Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Paris Hilton, Cameron Mathison, Billy Crystal, and Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, have lost their homes to the flames, which began in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7 and quickly spread to Malibu and Santa Monica, before four more fires began to ravage other neighborhoods in L.A. While the full extent of the damage wrought by the fires is not yet known, it’s estimated that the cost of the destruction could be upward of $52 billion, according to AccuWeather. The flames destroyed more than 2,000 structures, according to authorities.

Among the properties that were razed were the mansions of celebrities. Several stars shared heartbreaking images and videos of the smoldering remains of their homes. The fires continue to burn, with two of the blazes—the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire—currently at zero percent containment, according to Cal Fire. Five people are dead and an estimated 179,000 people are currently under evacuation orders in several areas, including the Hollywood Hills, Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu. Dozens of celebrities have spoken out to share their horror over the fires, with many pledging to donate money to the victims who have lost everything in the devastating tragedy. And while some stars have been lucky enough to preserve their homes, many were evacuated with little information available about when they might be able to return to their properties.

Adam Brody and Leighton Meester

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody, who wed in 2014, purchased the modern five-bedroom, six-bathroom Pacific Palisades property for $6.5 million in 2019, property records show. In its listing, the 6,000-square-foot home was described as an “impeccable” design with “sensational ocean views.” An image of the property taken after the fires had ripped through the couple’s neighborhood reveals a scorched shell with the walls about to collapse. Neither Meester nor Brody have yet to publicly address the destruction of their home. However, it is thought that the couple, who share two children, made it out of the house safely before the fires. Described in its original listing as a “beach chic farmhouse,” the property boasted jaw-dropping views from its hillside location. The interior had been impeccably curated by “powerhouse developer and interior design couple” David and Eliana Rokach. “One of the best views that the Palisades has to offer, this new construction home has it all,” the listing noted. “With incredible attention to design and detail, this home offers the perfect floor plan flowing seamlessly from room to room, not to mention dramatic views from nearly every room.” Before the fires, it’s estimated that the property’s value had soared to close to $8.5 million.

Paris Hilton and Carter Reum Paris Hilton and her husband, Carter Reum, watched their Malibu home burn down on live TV. The reality TV star, whose family started the iconic Hilton hotel chain, opened up about the loss of the home, which she and Reum purchased for $8.4 million in June 2021. Video footage of the home, which was located on the Pacific Coast Highway, shows the property was reduced to ashes. Paris Hilton revealed she had been left “heartbroken” after watching her Malibu mansion “burn to the ground on live TV” in the deadly Los Angeles wildfires. Hilton, 43, who shares two children with her husband, Carter Reum, revealed in a heartbreaking Instagram post that her coastal mansion had been demolished by the Palisades fire. The reality TV star, whose family started the iconic Hilton hotel chain, opened up about her grief over the loss of the home, which she and Reum purchased for $8.4 million in June 2021, two years before they welcomed son Phoenix in January 2023 and daughter London in November 2023. “Heartbroken beyond words,” Hilton wrote while sharing live ABC7 footage of the smoldering remains of her home. “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 was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London.” The three-bedroom home, which offered just under 3,000 square feet of living space, was located in a jaw-dropping spot on La Costa Beach, on the side of the Pacific Coast Highway, which was obliterated by the fires as they spread from the Palisades to Santa Monica and Malibu.

Cameron Mathison and Vanessa Arevalo “General Hospital” star Cameron Mathison, 55, shared gut-wrenching footage of the smoldering remains of his family home, which he and his wife, Vanessa, purchased in 2011, according to records. In a video posted to his Instagram account, the actor revealed the devastation that had been wrought by the flames, which obliterated his four-bedroom, six-bathroom dwelling. Only the front pathway was left unscathed. Mathison broke down in tears in another clip, which was posted on his Instagram Stories, as he drove past the remains of his home and neighborhood, screaming in horror as he surveyed the devastation. “Oh God, oh God,” he can be heard yelling as he pulls up to the property, which he bought for $1.7 million but was recently estimated to be worth upward of $3.5 million. He opened up in more detail about his heartache in an interview with “Good Morning America,” admitting that he had been “up all night” just thinking about all of the “irreplaceable” items that had been lost in the blaze. “I can’t sleep, you know. I’ve lost my home and everything I own,” he said. “I have this hoodie and two pairs of pants and a pair of sneakers left. That’s it.” Mathison, who has two kids, noted that the most important thing is the safety and well-being of his loved ones. However, he admitted that it has been hard for him to overcome the agony of all that he and his family have lost in just a matter of hours. “Every few minutes we’re thinking about things that were in there that are irreplaceable … the kids’ projects, their baby photos that were only [on] film, my childhood photos. … There’s just so much. “Of course, that’s just stuff, and at the same time, it is still very unsettling and so surreal. And again I’m just thinking of the hundreds and hundreds of people who are going through the same thing.”

Billy Crystal and Janice Crystal Billy Crystal, 76, confirmed in a statement to People magazine that the Pacific Palisades home where he and his wife, Janice, had lived in since 1979 had been razed. “Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing. We ache for our friends and neighbors who have also lost their homes and businesses in this tragedy,” he told the outlet. “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.” He ended his statement with a message of hope: “We pray for the safety of the firefighters and first responders. The Pacific Palisades is a resilient community of amazing people, and we know in time it will rise again. It is our home.” Crystal and his wife purchased the four-bedroom, six-bathroom home, which was built in 1936, for $435,000. Realtor.com® estimates suggest that it was worth upward of $7.5 million before it was destroyed, with some valuations reaching $9 million. An image of the couple’s property taken after the fire reveals a smoking pile of rubble. The tennis court appears to have been the only thing left intact.

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag The longtime home of “The Hills” stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag was destroyed in the blaze after the former revealed that the fires were racing toward their three-bedroom property in a series of social media posts. Pratt, 41, and Montag, 38, who share two sons, said they were able to evacuate safely. But they expressed their heartbreak over the loss of their beloved home, which they purchased for $2.52 million in 2017, according to property records. Realtor.com estimates that the property’s value had soared to around $3.8 million before the blaze. In a TikTok video posted by Montag after they evacuated, the mother of two sobbed. “It really comes in waves but I just really want to go home,” she told her followers. “I want to see all my stuff and sit on my couch. “I’m so homesick.” She later revealed that she’d fled her home with only two pairs of jeans and two shirts, leaving everything else behind in a desperate bid to get her family to safety. “The craziest thing when packing for a fire is that your brain just freaks out,” she admitted. “You’re like, ‘What do I need? What do I need?’ It’s so overwhelming. Montag added that she managed to grab more clothing for her two children, before noting that the most important thing is that the family made it out safely.

John Goodman  Hollywood legend John Goodman‘s longtime California home also fell prey to the devastating wildfires. An image taken on Jan. 8 revealed that the sizable dwelling had been destroyed by the blaze, which also consumed other properties in the actor’s neighborhood. The “Roseanne” star, 72, purchased the Pacific Palisades property in 2007 for $4.6 million. It is understood that the actor carried out extensive renovations in the years since, expanding the property and adding new amenities. It is not currently known whether Goodman and his wife, Anna Beth Goodman, were in California when the fires broke out, or whether they were safely ensconced in their New Orleans abode, which serves as their main residence. Goodman has yet to release a statement about the fires and the devastation they caused to his Pacific Palisades property. However, it is thought that he and his spouse, who share a daughter together, are safe and were not in the home when it burned down. It remains to be seen whether the couple will rebuild the property, or whether they will choose to sell the land on which it once stood and give up their Los Angeles residence once and for all.

Anna Faris

The Pacific Palisades home that Anna Faris purchased for $4.9 million in 2019 was completely incinerated, an afterimage of the property reveals. Faris confirmed through a spokesperson that she and her family had made it out of their four-bedroom, five-bathroom house safely. “Anna and her family are safe and grateful,” said a statement issued by her team. The representative did not address the condition of Faris’ home. However, an image taken of the property in the wake of the fire reveals that it was destroyed, along with several other homes on her street. Charred rubble now covers Faris’ 7,223-square-foot lot, and the empty swimming pool suggests that the water in it was evaporated by the staggering heat of the fire. All that remains standing are a few trees along the street, which were likely planted to ensure the actress’ privacy.

Anthony Hopkins 

Sir Anthony Hopkins lost his latest Los Angeles real estate investment to the wildfires, a stunning Palisades property that he scooped up for $6 million in 2019—having sold his former home in the same neighborhood just one month earlier. Hopkins, 87, is understood to have made extensive renovations to the home, which originally boasted four bedrooms and five bathrooms, offered 3,557 square feet of living space, and sat on a sizable 10,262-square-foot lot. However, that home, which was originally built in 1940, has now been razed by the wildfires, which left little more than a pile of ash where the legendary actor’s stunning abode once stood. An image taken of the destruction reveals just a few beams and pillars remaining of the property. It was one of several homes on the street that were destroyed by the flames. It will no doubt come as a heartbreaking loss to the actor, whose London home was also destroyed in a fire in 2000—while his former Malibu residence, which he sold for $10.5 million in 2020, only narrowly escaped the terrifying Woolsey fire in 2018. That blaze destroyed a home belonging to Hopkins’ neighbor but miraculously left his waterfront home unscathed.

Eugene Levy

“Schitt’s Creek” star Eugene Levy‘s Pacific Palisades home, which he purchased in 2006 for $2.4 million, was also decimated by the wildfires, with images revealing the entirety of the structure, save for the chimney, was razed. The home, which was built in 1950, served as a Los Angeles base for Levy and his wife, Deborah Divine, in whose name the property is registered, according to records. Levy and Divine, who share two children—Sarah and Dan, both of whom starred in “Schitt’s Creek”—are primarily based in Toronto, where they raised their kids. They maintained their home in Los Angeles for many years, no doubt so that the actor could come and go for work. Although Levy has yet to comment on the devastation that has befallen his neighborhood, he did reveal to the Los Angeles Times that he was in the property when the evacuation order was put in effect, telling the outlet that he got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic as he fled his home. “The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon,” he told the publication via phone. “I couldn’t see any flames but the smoke was very dark.”

Miles Teller

A $7.7 million Cape Cod owned by “Top Gun: Maverick” star Miles Teller and his wife, Keleigh, was all but obliterated in the blaze. A photo of the residence taken after the flames swept through their neighborhood reveals only the front gate and entry path remained. Bought by the couple in March 2023, four years after they tied the knot, the home was described in its original listing as a “gorgeous showpiece” that boasted “360-degree views” from its rooftop deck, as well as ample natural light in all of its rooms. The home had an open floor plan that was perfect for entertaining, while a spacious driveway meant there was plenty of room for guests to park. That driveway appears to have held several cars whose burned shells can be seen in the afterimage of the home. The trees surrounding the property are scorched, but still standing. While it’s thought that Teller and his wife were not in the home when it went up in flames, they have yet to comment on the fires.

^ It is sad to see all the destruction. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, a Celebrity or an Ordinary Person loosing your house and all your personal items (photos, heirlooms, etc.) is devasting. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/horrifying-photos-celebrities-l-homes-174140336.html