A raging wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate as it destroys homes in the upscale neighborhood, including those owned by celebrities.
The Palisades Fire, sparked by strong Santa Ana winds, started in the Santa Monica Mountains Tuesday morning and quickly engulfed 200 acres in an hour, reaching nearly 3,000 acres by sunset, FOX Weather reported .
Orange County Fire Chief Brian Fennessy joined “Fox News @ Night” Tuesday to provide an update on how firefighters are battling the fast-moving flames, but said there wasn't much- There is nothing to do to stop them, so teams are focusing on evacuating and rescuing anyone still in the area.
“Our main goal is to keep people and lives away from these fires,” Fennessy said. “There's not much we can do except keep people away from these fires and then try to attack them…certainly in the Palisades, that's the story today.”
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Reality TV star Spencer Pratt and his wife Heidi Montag, who began dating on The Hills, lost their home in the Palisades fire, Pratt and Montag confirmed on their Snapchat accounts Tuesday.
In a series of videos, Pratt showed how the fire quickly spread over the hill toward their home.
“Well, it’s not looking good,” Pratt said as he filmed the fire on the mountain behind their home. “This is the first time I've seen the flames coming. Oh, man. Okay, I'll pack my bags, I think.”
He then posted a video from his car stating that he watched their house burn through their security cameras.
Montag posted a video at a grocery store saying their house had burned down, but they were safe.
Actor Chris Pratt posted to X and asked people to join him in praying for “the brave firefighters who are sacrificing so much to save our homes and our city.”
“Jesus protects the lives of those battling the flames and the lives of those who were unable to evacuate,” Pratt wrote.
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Actress Denise Crosby, also in a post on
Crosby shared a video from a beach Tuesday evening and followed that post with videos earlier in the day showing smoke near an alley behind his house and Sunset Boulevard.
Actor James Woods posted a series of videos on X showing his home and that of his neighbors surrounded by smoke and flames. Woods said his family evacuated the area safely and praised first responders and community members for evacuating children from neighborhood elementary schools.
“To all the wonderful people who have reached out to us, thank you for being so concerned. Just letting you know that we were able to evacuate successfully,” Woods wrote on X. “I don't know at this time if our home is still standing, but unfortunately the houses on our little street are not.”
Professional dancer Derek Hough shared photos of the fire on his Instagram account and said he and his wife were preparing to evacuate with their pets.
“The winds are reaching 100 mph and we are packing our bags, preparing to evacuate with our five pets JUST IN CASE,” Hough wrote. “It’s scary with the power lines blowing up around us and the fires spreading so fast.”
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Hough continued his message by thanking the firefighters for “risking everything to keep us safe” and said he was sending prayers and love to all the firefighters and victims.