By Hannah Lang, Brendan O’Brien and Lisa Richwine
(Reuters) – Jamie Lee Curtis, Mandy Moore, Maria Shriver and other celebrities were among tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate their homes to escape the out-of-control wildfires raging around Los Angeles.
The largest fire has consumed nearly 12,000 acres (4,856 hectares) in Pacific Palisades, a picturesque neighborhood between the coastal cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, home to many movie, television and music stars.
“Heartbreaking, devastating, unbelievable,” Shriver, a journalist and former first lady of California while married to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, wrote on X on Wednesday. “Everything is gone. Our neighborhood, our restaurants.”
“Firefighters are there and they’re doing their best,” Shriver added, “but this fire is huge and out of control.”
A day after actor James Woods evacuated his home in Pacific Palisades, he said “every house around us was on fire.”
“We were literally right at the epicenter of the fire when it started,” Woods, known for his roles in “Mississippi Ghosts” and “Every Sunday,” told CNN on Wednesday. “There was so much chaos. It was like hell.”
The disaster disrupted several Hollywood events just as the annual awards season was getting underway. This weekend’s Critics Choice Awards have been pushed back by two weeks, and the announcement of next week’s Oscar nominations has been pushed back by two days, organizers said.
Strong, dry winds fanned the Palisades fire, and the area’s narrow, winding streets combined with the rush of thousands of people ordered to evacuate created long delays and traffic jams.
“It’s surreal here in Los Angeles,” actor Henry Winkler wrote on X. “It’s biblical. So many people have lost everything.”
Oscar winner Curtis said he was safe but “my community and maybe my home is on fire.”
“This is a scary situation,” Curtis wrote on Instagram.
“Pray if you believe it, and even if you don’t, pray for those who believe.”
Mandy Moore, famous for the television series “This Is Us”, said that she and her family evacuated because of the proximity of the flames.
“So heartbroken at the destruction and loss,” she wrote on Instagram. “I don’t know if our place worked.”
Pacific Palisades borders the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains. With a median home price of $4.5 million, it is home to celebrities as well as the Getty Villa, one of Los Angeles’ most popular museums.
Several other fires — along with the Palisades blaze — were burning around the city. Film permits have been revoked in Pasadena and other areas east of Los Angeles at the request of fire officials, according to the permit organization FilmLA.
Production on TV shows including “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Grey’s Anatomy” was halted Wednesday, and several movie premieres were canceled. City officials also blocked public access to the famous Hollywood sign in the hills above Los Angeles.
Actor Mark Hamill, known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” films, said the fire was the “worst” since 1993.
He said on Instagram that he evacuated his Malibu home on Tuesday night with his wife and dog.
“There (were) small fires on both sides of the road as we approached,” Pacific Coast Highway said.
