• Five dead, thousands evacuated, rendered homeless as flames advance on Santa Monica, Malibu
• Firefighters quell ‘Sunset Fire’, many Hollywood stars lose homes

LOS ANGELES: At least five separate wildfires were burning in Los Angeles County on Thursday morning, and a pair of massive blazes menacing LA from the east and west were still burning uncontained two days after they ignited.

Firefighters, however, managed to beat back another fire scorching the Hollywood Hills.

At least five people have been killed, thousands of structures have been incinerated and nearly 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, officials said. The death toll is likely to rise, Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna told a press conference on Thursday morning.

Dozens of high-profile celebrities also lost their homes in the furious blaze that threatened Hollywood, before emergency workers succeeded in dousing the so-called Sunset Fire.

Over 130,000 people across the western US metropolis remained under evacuation orders as meteorologists warned that “critical” windy and dry conditions, though abated, were not over.

Fast-moving flames fanned by powerful winds have leveled more than 2,000 structures, many of them multi-million dollar homes in a tragedy that the US media describes as the worst in the city’s history.

Winds with gusts up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) an hour spread the fire around the ritzy Pacific Palisades neighborhood with lightning speed.

A swathe of the neighbourhood, which is a haven of hillside streets nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and winding down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean, was reduced to ash.

At least 17,000 acres (6,900 hectares) burned there, with 1,000 homes and businesses razed.

A separate 10,600-acre (4,300-hectare) fire was burning around Altadena, north of the city, where flames tore through suburban streets.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said five people were known to have perished, with more deaths feared.

Celebrities rendered homeless

The Sunset Fire burned through the Hollywood Hills, just above Hollywood Boulevard and its Walk of Fame, across the 101 Freeway from the Hollywood Sign.

Billy Crystal lost the Pacific Palisades house where he had lived since 1979. Crystal said in a statement that he and his wife Janice were “heartbroken” by the loss of their Pacific Palisades home where they had lived since 1979.

The When Harry Met Sally star said in a statement: “We raised our children and grandchildren here.

Paris Hilton watched her Malibu beach mansion burn down on live TV. She wrote in an Instagram post: “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 is where we built so many precious memories... My heart and prayers are going out to every family affected by these fires.”

Jamie Lee Curtis, James Woods, Mandy Moore, Mark Hamill and Maria Shriver were among the other celebrities forced to evacuate as out-of-control fires in Los Angeles swept across some of the most lavish real estate in the world. Actors Sir Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman, Anna Faris and Cary Elwes also reportedly lost their homes.

“One day you’re swimming in the pool, and the next day it’s all gone,” he said. He wiped away tears as he described how his wife’s eight-year-old niece offered them her piggybank to help rebuild their house.

Singer and This Is Us actress Mandy Moore posted a video of the scene of destruction as she evacuated. “Grateful for my family and pets getting out last night before it was too late (and endless gratitude to friends for taking us in and bringing us clothes and blankets).

“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children’s school is gone.

The Oscar nominations have been postponed by two days because of the fires, and other star-studded events were also cancelled.

Film premieres for Unstoppable, Better Man and Wolfman have been called off, as has the Screen Actors Guild Awards live ceremony, while the Oscar nominations event was postponed.—

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2025