Actor James Woods recalled the chaotic moments on Tuesday afternoon at Pacific Palisades as a deadly wildfire began to ravage his neighborhood, destroying house after house.
Woods and his family fled their home as the flames moved closer and closer. He’s not sure if his house is still standing, but told “The Ingraham Angle” on Wednesday that it’s “possible.”
“It is amazing what happened during this experience we discovered that none of us are celebrities. None of us are poor or rich, Democrat or Republican. We were just neighbors, just really helping each other out,” Woods said.
FURIOUS PALISADA FIRE DESTROYED HIGH SCHOOL IN MULTIPLE HOLLYWOOD MOVIES
A building burns during the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. Uncontrolled wildfires are raging across parts of the Los Angeles region, fanned by extreme winds, forcing thousands of residents to flee and grounding firefighting aircraft. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The multiple Emmy Award winner he added that his neighbor ran to his house after he and his family evacuated to try to prevent the flames from reaching his deck, even staying overnight to fight the flames.
“It was an extraordinary experience of realizing how important good neighbors, good friends, and good relatives are[s] [are]”, Woods said.
A neighbor told him Wednesday morning that the houses to his left and right had burned, as had “every house” across the street, but Woods’ roof was still visible.
PHOTO GALLERY: THE FIRE ON THE PALISADES BEFORE AND AFTER
A fire-damaged Bank of America branch is seen after the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Eugene Garcia/AP)
Officials assessed it Wednesday morning more than 1,000 structures burned as wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles County.
Woods told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that he saw a fire engine parked outside his home as the fire began to grow, but firefighters could not pump water because “there was no water.”
Eric Scott, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department, acknowledged in a post on X that there are indeed challenges with water pressure.
“LADWP [Los Angeles Department of Water and Power] proactively filled all available water tanks, including three 1 million gallon tanks located in the Palisades area,” Scott wrote. “However, water availability was compromised at higher elevations, affecting some fire hydrants due to limited tank fill lead to those areas. The extreme demand has caused a slower rate of filling of these tanks which has created a challenge for our firefighting efforts.”
An air tanker dropped on the Palisades Fire. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Woods called out California Governor Gavin Newsom for his alleged poor fire management and said the aftermath of the ongoing wildfire was more than a “wake-up call.”
“If it’s true that things were handled this way. If it’s true that Gavin Newsom is the absolute stupid idiot that I believe he is in the way he’s handled firefighting in this country over and over and over and over again, this is not It’s not a wake-up call for what they have courts for – where they judge people and say you’ve sworn an oath to perform certain duties,” Woods said.
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“When you’re the fire chief, this isn’t a social justice exercise that you’re in charge of. This is getting water to areas that need water because there are fires and 100-mile-per-hour winds are burning houses to the ground.”
