'Destroying families': Pacific Palisades resident says devastation is 'truly sad'
FOX Business' Max Gorden speaks with Josh Ally, a Pacific Palisades resident who lost his home to the wildfires
As wildfires in Southern California rage on, with Los Angeles City Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley calling the situation "one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," some stars are doing what they can to help.
Jamie Lee Curtis shared Thursday that she and her family are donating $1 million to relief efforts.
"As the fire still rages on and @calfire @losangelesfiredepartment and all the available first responders and agencies involved in fighting fire and saving lives are still hard at work and neighbors and friends are banding together to save each other, my husband and I and our children have pledged $1 million from our Family Foundation to start a fund of support for our great city and state and the great people who live and love there," she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.
Jamie Lee Curtis has donated $1 million to relief efforts. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for IMDb | AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
She added, "I'm in communication with Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass and Senator Schiff as to where those funds need to be directed for the most impact."
The legendary actress also told her followers that she plans on posting regular updates on "where you can send needed resources to reputable agencies."
Jamie Lee Curtis shared that her neighborhood has been destroyed. (Gilbert Flores/Getty Images)
Curtis has been making frequent posts about the fires since yesterday, when she wrote that while her family is safe, "My community and possibly my home is on fire."
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She later updated her followers to say that her neighborhood "is gone," but her house is still standing. Another important location to her, a local church in the Pacific Palisades, was destroyed.
The church, she explained, "had a beautiful Sunday school and school and was a gorgeous house of worship and is the building that I got sober in 25 years ago."
Fire engulfs a structure as the Palisades Fire burns on the west side of Los Angeles, Jan. 8, 2025. (Ringo Chiu/Reuters)
She continued, "I think of all of the souls who came there for comfort and solace and all the baptisms and funerals and weddings and the thousands of people who reclaimed their lives through Sobriety. Also, the women's club in the Palisades, where I met many sober people. Both are gone. Tough times. We will persevere. God bless you all."
Curtis made an emotional appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Wednesday night, saying "As you know, where I live is on fire right now. Literally, the entire city of the Pacific Palisades is burning."
Jamie Lee Curtis made an appearance Wednesday night on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP File)
She'd flown to New York City, where Fallon's show is filmed, and said that during the flight, she started receiving messages from friends, calling the situation "f---ing gnarly."
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During her interview, she took the time to urge people watching to help where they could, whether it be donating money, giving blood or just checking in on friends. She also advised viewers to prepare an emergency kit for their families in case there was ever a need to evacuate quickly.
Maurici Umansky, founder and CEO of The Agency, a real estate and brokerage firm primarily located in Southern California, told Fox News Digital they have been working hard to get the displaced clients, who live in places like Pacific Palisades, housing. Umansky also starred on the Netflix reality series "Buying Beverly Hills." (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Homeless Not Toothless)
Maurici Umansky, founder and CEO of The Agency, a real estate and brokerage firm primarily located in Southern California, told Fox News Digital they have been working hard to get the displaced clients, who live in places like Pacific Palisades, housing. Umansky also starred on the Netflix reality series "Buying Beverly Hills."
He said 25 staff members and agents there have also lost their homes.
"It's just been extremely difficult to deal with that," he said. "On top of that, we do have offices directly where everything is happening in the Altadena Fire, the Pacific Palisades Fire, the one up in Malibu, and we have a tremendous amount of clientele, colleagues, friends, brothers, sisters that have all been affected by the fires. Obviously, the most devastating is the complete loss of a home, and the people being displaced and evacuated and not being able to go home."
He said the people left homeless need the most help in finding a place to stay.
"And that's what we do for a living," he said, adding that they are also imploring landlords not to take advantage of the desperate situation.
He added, "And that humanity has been amazing. People have just been wanting to be helpful for the most cases."
His team has also brainstormed about how to unlock more housing during the crisis.
"There's definitely going to be a shortage of housing going on, particularly short-term housing and rentals and all of that stuff. And, you know, we have asked a bunch of our developers in Los Angeles, new development developers that are sitting with vacant homes and unsellable condominiums to think about opening up those condos and to opening up that inventory to short-term rentals."
He said they've also been talking to staging companies about how to ge those homes furnished faster.
The Agency Is also helping clients file claims with their insurance company.
"A lot of these people are really, really struggling with their minds and their mindset, and they're not able to think, they're affected," he explained. " They're frantic. The calls are intense, and we're just trying to do as much thinking for them as possible and just be, you know, really empathetic."
He said they have a large clientele base in the affected areas, and they are collaborating with the rest of the real estate community.
"This is not about who's better or who's not," he said. "This is about all of us getting together to help the community, to help our community where we live, where we have our brothers and sisters. And so we're working with all of the real estate agencies. This is a collaborative effort."
He said people who have available guest houses or spare rooms can help in the crisis by taking people in.
"There's going to be a tremendous amount of people out there looking for homes," he said. "There's a frenzy. There's multiple applications for the same homes right now. And, you know, I just implore that, you know, nobody takes advantage. So far humanity has been very good.."
He said one of his clients told him yesterday that they planned to take all of the proceeds made on a rental and give them back to families in need.
One of his agents is also friends with Elon Musk's brother, he added, saying that they were waiting for a shipment of Starlinks to take to the Pacific Palisades and Malibu to try to get some internet in the area.
"Right now, there's absolutely zero communication from some of these area," he explained. "Cell towers are down, wi-fi is down, etc., etc. So, we are just waiting for that shipment, and then we're going to be heading out."
Stars like Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba, Khloé Kardashian and more have all been sharing resources on how people can help those affected by the fires.
Mayim Bialik has been urging her millions of Instagram followers to donate to relief efforts. (Getty Images)
Mayim Bialik shared in a video to Instagram that she's lost power in her home, but offered a number of links with information on how and where to donate.
Sharon Stone has been urging people to donate gently used clothes, blankets shoes, gift cards and more to help those who have been displaced. Donations are currently being accepted at a local LA store called, The Coop.
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"Full House" star Jodie Sweetin has also been sharing information regularly for people living in the area, writing that she's "Devastated and heartbroken for the place I call home."
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