Devastating wildfires sweep across southern California
Firefighters are battling the blazes fueled by the whipping Santa Ana winds; Adam Housley has the details for 'Special Report.'
Celebrities were among the thousands of people forced to evacuate as a series of wildfires in Southern California threatening to destroy multimillion homes and buildings — drawing reactions from many Hollywood stars living in the area.
Lea Michele told reporters at The Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 Women in Entertainment Breakfast Wednesday morning she evacuated her home because she didn’t want to “risk anything.” She added that she packed her bags and went to celebrity stylist Brad Goreski’s house.
"It's so crazy because yesterday when there were those duel fires, I had such a strong feeling and then when I woke up this morning—thankfully I woke up early for this event—and when everyone was coming to get me ready, they said we gotta go so I just threw my cat in my bag and I left," Michele told E! News.
Paris Hilton tweeted her house was evacuated and included a widely shared video of the scene in the Los Angeles area.
“This wild fire in LA is terrifying! My house is now being evacuated to get all of my pets out of there safely. Thank you to all the firefighters who are risking their lives to save ours. You are true heroes!” Hilton tweeted.
Ariana Grande’s mother, Joan Grande, announced her family was also forced to leave their home as the blaze encroached on their neighborhood. She said it was the “first time” in her life she had to evacuate, adding, “My heart is breaking for all the Californians so sadly affected by the fires!”
Frankie Grande, who is the singer’s brother, tweeted shortly after that his family is safe and thanked the Los Angeles Fire Department for alerting them before it was too late.
“We are out & safe. Thank you to @LAFD for getting us up & alerting us to the evacuation so early & efficiently,” Frankie Grande said. “My thoughts & prayers are with everyone affected by these fires. I pray all our homes & families continue to be safe as the fires rage on...”
Lionel Richie was also impacted by the fast-moving wildfire, announcing he’s canceling his Wednesday night show at Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood because he was “helping [his] family evacuate to a safer place.”
“I unfortunately have to cancel my show tonight. I look forward to returning to the stage this weekend and performing for my fans,” the singer said.
Chelsea Handler said: “Just evacuated my house. It’s like Donald Trump is setting the world on fire. Literally and figuratively. Stay safe everyone. Dark times.” Her tweet caused anger and controversy.
The home of Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of 21st Century Fox and Fox News Channel, was also impacted by the fire.
About 200,000 people were forced to evacuate by Thursday as firefighters battle two large blazes, the Thomas Fire and Skirball Fire, ravaging Ventura and Los Angeles counties since the start of the week. The relentless wind-whipped wildfires threatened to burn down multimillion-dollar homes in Bel-Air. No fatalities or civilian injuries have been reported since the firestorm began Sunday, according to Reuters.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES TRIGGER MASS DESTRUCTION, HURTING FAMILIES, ECONOMY
Many Hollywood A-listers turned to social media to react to the wildfires.
Mariah Carey tweeted: Sending love and prayers to all those affected by the fires in California. Be safe everyone! Thankful for our incredible firefighters and rescue-workers #Heroes.”
Kim Kardashian West, who reportedly recently moved into her $20 million home in Hidden Hills in Los Angeles County, tweeted: “I pray everyone in Los Angeles is safe from these fires and THANK YOU to all of the fire fighters working so hard to keep everyone safe!”
Khloe Kardashian posted images on her Instagram stories, writing, “Insane…the fire jumped over the [freeway] to homes. These fires are terrifying. Does anyone know how we can help in LA?”
LeAnn Rimes wrote: “More and more fires here in So Cal. This is incredibly heartbreaking and it’s now right by some of our friend’s houses. Praying hard for everyone’s safety.”
“Never thought I’d get to actually play what I thought was a hypothetical game of what would you grab if there were a fire. so far all I have is Luna, some limited edition Oreos and my spike tv award,” Chrissy Teigen said. “We are fine and we will be fine. thinking of everyone else affected and continuing my lifelong intense love of firefighters.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda also said: "Coming home to the images from the #SkirballFire. My God. Stay safe, LA. Prayers and heart with first responders.”
“PLEASE [pray] FOR MY HOME STATE..... MY BIRTHPLACE,MY BEAUTIFUL CALIFORNIA,” Cher tweeted.
Fox News’ Travis Fedschun contributed to this report.
Trending
Fox News Entertainment
Get a daily look at the top news in music, movies, television and more in the entertainment industry.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.