Ben Affleck and Tom Hanks’ homes in danger as celebs flee posh Pacific Palisades amid raging wildfire
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Several celebrities have been forced to evacuate their opulent homes as authorities warn of an "immediate threat to life" as wildfire continues to ravage California's Pacific Palisades. Residents in upscale suburbs across southern California have been warned to prepare for another 12 hours of hell.
The upscale area, which is home to numerous A-list celebrities including Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks, Jhene Aiko, and Miles Teller, has been ripped apart by the cataclysmic fire.
The Los Angeles City Council president Marqueece Harris-Dawson announced a state of emergency on Tuesday night, January 7, adding that the worst of the windstorm is "yet to come", per Daily Mail.
Ben Affleck's $20.5M bachelor pad situated between Brentwood and Pacific Palisades
The authorities used bulldozers to clear the roadways of the abandoned automobiles and provide a way for first responders to reach the hills, where the fire was burning, as terrified locals fled on foot.
With a terrifying warning of an "immediate threat to life," the California Department of Forest and Fire Protection initially posted evacuation advisories along the wealthy coastal area.
Affleck had purchased his bachelor pad in Pacific Palisades for $20.5 million on July 24, 2024, the day his ex-wife Jennifer Lopez turned 55.
The 'Gone Girl' star obtained a $10 million loan for the 6,200-square-foot home, which was first constructed and planned by renowned architect Cliff May in the early 1940s and then underwent substantial renovations by its new owners.
The home, which occupies about an acre of ground, is located between the affluent Brentwood and Pacific Palisades communities, making it a highly sought-after community in the Los Angeles area.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Frightened affluent residents described the natural calamity as an all-encompassing "tornado of fire", and footage showed Teslas, BMWs, Porches, and Mercedes dozing out of the way on Tuesday afternoon.
The Pacific Palisades is home to the expansive $26 million estate owned by actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson. The 1.5-acre house was built in 1996 and bought by the couple of 36 years in 2010.
They have four bedrooms, and five bathrooms, plus a theater and an in-ground pool in their 14,513-square-foot home.
Jhene Aiko
Popular R&B artist Jhene Aiko paid over $5.6 million for a house in the gated community in 2023. According to the Mail, she and her rapper boyfriend Big Sean live in this home with five bedrooms and five bathrooms.
It has opulent features like a pickleball court, pool, and three-car garage and is situated on half an acre of ground.
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt, 41, and his wife Heidi Montag, 38, also lost their Pacific Palisades house to the roaring wildfire.
Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry
The 'Top Gun: Maverick' actor and his model spouse, Keleigh Sperry, paid $7.5 million in March 2023 for their property there.
According to James Respondek, the 6,622-square-foot Cape-Cod-style house features five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and several family rooms.
It was first built in 2015 and has subsequently undergone renovations to add an office, gym, and movie theater at home.
Eugene Levy
Known as the honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades, 'Schitt's Creek' star Eugene Levy has lived in the exclusive community for a long time.
According to Tuko, Eugene and his spouse, Deborah Devine, paid $2.4 million for their house there in 2006.
Levy, 78, told the Los Angeles Times that he was trapped in the traffic of locals escaping the fire as it tore through his neighborhood.
"The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn’t see any flames, but the smoke was very dark," Levy told the outlet.
California elites forced to leave as massive wildfire threatens to engulf Los Angeles
Million-dollar homes in the affluent neighborhood of Pacific Palisades were destroyed, and three uncontrolled fires quickly spread throughout Los Angeles, destroying cherished eateries and historic establishments.
The night sky was red and covered in thick smoke, and a windstorm that was the worst to hit Los Angeles in over 10 years swept up trash and hurled fire embers more than a mile ahead of the colossal fire.
Malibu and Calabasas were also issued evacuation advisories as firefighters fighting the Palisades fire, which is consuming almost five football fields every minute, said they were running low on supplies and water, per Daily Mail.
As the roaring wildfire continued to burn through over 2,900 acres of Los Angeles land at an unprecedented rate, residents were cautioned that the worst was yet to come.
A fire that started in the foothills near Eaton Canyon has spread to 1,000 acres in just six hours, forcing at least 30,000 homeowners to go under mandatory evacuation orders and warning others to be ready to evacuate.
Mandatory evacuation zones have grown in number and are now dispersed inland toward Calabasas and Pasadena and along the coast from Malibu to Santa Monica.
