Movie and TV stars flee their homes as wildfires rage in Los Angeles By Reuters

Written by Hannah Lange and Brendan O’Brien

(Reuters) – Movie and TV stars, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Mandy Moore and James Woods, were among those forced to evacuate and left wondering if their homes had survived the wildfires burning around Los Angeles that burned out of control.

The day after Woods evacuated his home in Pacific Palisades, an affluent neighborhood between the beach cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, he described the scene as “hell” as “every house around us was on fire.”

“We were literally in the exact center of the fire when it started,” Woods, an award-winning actor known for his roles in “Salvador,” “Ghosts of Mississippi” and “Any Sunday,” told CNN on Wednesday. “There was so much chaos. It was like hell.”

Strong, dry winds fanned flames burning around Pacific Palisades, and the area’s narrow, winding streets combined with a rush of thousands of people ordered to evacuate led to long delays and traffic jams for those trying to escape the wildfires. Some evacuees abandoned their cars on Tuesday.

Among those stuck in traffic was actor Eugene Levy from the TV series “Schitt’s Creek.”

“I couldn’t see any flames but the smoke was very dark,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

Mandy Moore, known for her role in the television series “This is Us,” posted on Instagram that she had evacuated her family due to her proximity to the fire.

“I devoured the devastation and loss,” she said. “I don’t know if our place worked.”

Reality TV stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag lost their home in Pacific Palisades in the wildfires, according to TMZ, which added that the couple was able to safely evacuate with their children earlier in the day.

Pratt shared a video on Instagram earlier today of a plane dropping water on a smoke-covered mountainside.

Dotted with luxury hillside properties, Pacific Palisades is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains. With an average home price of $4.5 million, it is home to many movie and music stars as well as the Getty Villa, one of the most popular museums in Los Angeles.

Several other fires – along with the Barrier Fire – are burning throughout the city.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and officials warned that wildfires are unpredictable and remain out of control.

“This is a dynamic situation,” Katherine Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said at a news conference on Wednesday. “We have fires all over the entire province, which spreads our resources too short.”

The wildfires prompted organizers of the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Hollywood to cancel the live announcement of its nominations on Wednesday. City authorities 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 “most horrific” since 1993.

He said on Instagram that he evacuated his Malibu home around 7 p.m. on Tuesday with his family.

“There were small fires on both sides of the road as we approached” the Pacific Coast Highway, he said.