Joe Lando is devastated after losing his home in the Palisades Fire.
During an interview with Fox News Digital Thursday, the “Dr. Quinn” star explained that now that he’s been able to clear his mind, he understands the extent of the damage to his community in Pacific Palisades.
“I’m replaying what happened. And now I’m getting a little aggravated because I realize there were so many things that happened that morning that could have made it far less of a disaster than it turned out to be,” Lando said.
“Dr. Quinn” star Joe Lando lost his home during the Palisades fire. (Getty Images)
“I mean, my neighborhood looks like Hiroshima,” the actor explained.
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Lando noted that a section of Pacific Palisades, which the locals call “Carusoville”, is still standing.
“Rick Caruso, a developer and builder, bought a small part of our town and put some stores there,” he explained. “And he had his private fire department there, I believe, on Tuesday, and that’s the only thing left standing. And you could hit one of his buildings with a rock from my house.”
“I mean, my neighborhood looks like Hiroshima.”
Lando said Caruso, who lives in Pacific Palisades, was just trying to protect what was his, which many residents chose to do, even Lando.
“My son, Christian, and I, were left fighting the fire for hours. I mean hours. [We] poured water on my roof, my neighbor’s roof,” he said.
“But I was worried.
WATCH: ‘Dr. The Quinn star compares the aftermath of the Palisades fire to Hiroshima
“If that catches fire, you’re going to catch my house on fire and my other neighbors. So we kind of sprayed each other’s homes with snot. And then people must be slowly disappearing. And Christian and I stayed there until the very, very end,” he said. Lando.
in the end, Lando and his son had to leave their home. They initially went to his son’s apartment in Santa Monica, and the star recognized people from his neighborhood who had moved toward the coast to escape the flames.
A home stands among homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Joe Lando stayed behind to try to defend his home during the Palisades Fire. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
“And, you know, like I said before, if it was just my house, this wouldn’t be so hard to take. But that’s everyone, and that’s all we know. It’s our world,” Lando said.
He explained to Fox News Digital that many of his neighbors, including himself, may never be able to rebuild after the Palisades fire.
WATCH: Joe Lando salutes firefighters who helped defend Pacific Palisades
“They were three-bedroom, two-bath houses that belonged to elderly people. They’re never going to be able to build here again. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to build again because three months ago this fire, the insurance company, Allstate, destroyed my entire street,” said Lando.
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Lando expressed frustration and pointed to a reservoir behind his house that had been “empty” for the past 18 months.
Buildings are burned to the ground after wildfires on January 12, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
Joe Lando expressed frustration at the lack of preparation leading up to the Palisades Fire. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
“That would mean the helicopters could get to the fire in literally seconds instead of having to go all the way to the ocean and refuel and come back again to drop it because the fire was right there,” he said.
Lando said he is “convinced” that someone started the Palisades Fire.
“I saw where it was. This wasn’t an air conditioner. This wasn’t a downed power line. This wasn’t a gardener or a car that hit a rock or anything like that.
“It was Skull Rock. Somebody went inside. They lit a fire. And then I watched it go from one point to two to three points, and there were five points. And I know the wind was strong at that point. Maybe all those other spots were caused by that first fire, but that first smoke at 9 was the man who started the fire,” Lando said.
WATCH: Joe Lando stayed with his son to defend his home from the Palisades Fire
Lando isn’t the first celebrity to be start the ignition theory. However, officials said they have not determined the cause of the Palisades fire.
Authorities sent fire investigators to Pacific Palisades on Jan. 9 to determine the origin of the blaze that engulfed thousands of buildings.
“The cause of the fire remains unknown, and it still is.” under active investigation“, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said at the time.
Aerial view of beachfront homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire along the Pacific Coast Highway. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
During his interview with Fox News Digital, Lando explained that this is an emotional time for him, but he wanted to thank the firefighters and first responders who fought to preserve Pacific Palisades.
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“First I want to thank all the firefighters, emergency services, people who helped try to save our homes. It’s such a dangerous job, a job we don’t appreciate until you go through what I just went through with my son and my family,” he said.
While evacuating, Jane Seymour opened her home to his colleague from the movie “Dr. Quinn”.
Jane Seymour and Joe Lando starred together in “Dr. Quinn.” (CBS via Getty Images)
“My wife and I spent the night at the hotel. Things were just still burning out of control. It was very smoky. And Jane said, ‘Come up here. There’s no smoke up here. The air is clear.’ They didn’t have water or electricity here, but it’s not an important place where the air is clean,” said Lando.
WATCH: Joe Lando thanked God for having someone like Jane Seymour in his life
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“I’m just thankful to God that there is someone like Jane and that there are a lot of people in the world like Jane. This has done something where the best has been brought out. As always, these tragedies bring out the best in us. If only we could hold on to these feelings and remember you know, when we’re so bitter at each other.”
