Massive wildfires are currently sweeping through Los Angeles, leaving nearly 3,000 acres of land and more than 1,000 buildings devoured by flames, which have been exacerbated by gusts of up to 100 mph, multiple sources report. More than 30,000 residents of the city and surrounding areas have been put under mandatory evacuation orders. Among the affected are Hollywood actors and reality TV stars forced to flee their homes, most of which are located in Pacific Palisades, an affluent neighborhood between Santa Monica and Malibu.
Per TMZ, the evacuees include Ben Affleck, who was photographed leaving his $20 million mansion for his ex-wife Jennifer Garner’s home in Brentwood, which is a 20-minute drive from the Palisades. Garner and their three children reportedly haven’t left their residence yet, but all residents in the area are on standby.
Mark Hamill shared on social media that his family and neighbors were “fleeing for [their] lives.” In an Instagram post, the Star Wars actor called the blazes the “most horrific fire since ’93,” and wrote that “small fires [burned] on both sides of the road” as he approached the Pacific Coast Highway.
Schitt’s Creek actor Eugene Levy and his wife Deborah Devine were caught in the gridlock of fleeing residents, per the Los Angeles Times. While stuck in traffic, Levy told the outlet that he “couldn’t see any flames but the smoke was very dark.”
Actor James Woods, known for his roles in Casino and Once Upon a Time in America, documented the flames near his Palisades home in a series of clips. “Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,” Woods said in a video shared on social media, adding that firefighters were attempting to contain the blaze by dumping water from airplanes above the inferno. Woods later posted that he is unsure if his home is still standing, and that he and many of his neighbors no longer have insurance after a “major company” canceled many of the policies in the neighborhood about four months ago.