Celebrities are among the thousands of California residents who are fleeing their homes as a fast-moving wildfire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles expands to surrounding areas.
The fire, which has burned nearly 3,000 acres, remains uncontained, with strong winds worsening the situation and hindering firefighting efforts.
As local news reporter Gene Kang was covering the fire live on KTLA, "Police Academy" star Steve Guttenberg interrupted his transmission to make an "important announcement."
KTLA reporter on the street interviewing people asks someone, "What's your name, sir?"
— Brad Cooper (@mvhacking) January 8, 2025
Didn't realize it was a famous actor, Steve Guttenberg.
Thank you for helping out, Steve! Always a class act!
Mahoney to the rescue! Is that his cop car in the background?
Praying for… pic.twitter.com/HAjGEwAbqE
"If you leave your car, leave your key in there so that a guy like me can move your car–so that these firetrucks can get up there, it's really important," Guttenberg implored.
The actor stated that he lived on Palisades Drive, which, at the time of writing, was heavily congested with thousands of residents attempting to evacuate to safety. Local media reported bulldozers being used to clear key emergency routes.
NEW: Bulldozer is being used to move abandoned cars out of the way as the Palisades Fire continues to rip through southern California.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 8, 2025
The fire has grown to a whopping 1300 acres as wind speeds continue to increase.
Actor Steve Guttenberg is urging locals to keep their keys in… pic.twitter.com/ORPClU4e37
"I have friends up there right now, and they can't evacuate because it's stuck on Palisades Drive," the actor revealed. "There are people stuck up there. We are trying to clear Palisades Drive and I'm walking up there as far as I can moving cars."
Gutenberg concluded his interview asking people "to help each other" and "band together."
"Don't worry about your personal property, just get out," he said.
Adding to the list of celebrities affected by the fire, Academy Award-winning actor James Woods, known for his roles in movies such as Hercules and Salvador.
To all the wonderful people who’ve reached out to us, thank you for being so concerned. Just letting you know that we were able to evacuate successfully. I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing, but sadly houses on our little street are not. pic.twitter.com/xZjvsIg6Fg
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 7, 2025
Via his X account Woods shared live updates and images of his neighborhood before evacuating. "We cleared and built pathways on our hillside with sprinkler systems that can be remotely managed. We also did brush clearance per local fire prevention mandates. I'm hoping it has done some good," he wrote.
Woods received criticism for his stance on climate change. A social media user said, "The irony of James Woods, known for his skepticism about climate change, losing his home to the very wildfires linked to climate change impacts in California, is striking."
The actor responded by holding on to his position, claiming the fire was caused by the "liber id**ts" who elected Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass. "One doesn't understand the first thing about fire management and the other can't fill the water reservoirs," he wrote.
Our neighbor’s friend sent this video evacuating our area… pic.twitter.com/n8zLWgi3gR
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 8, 2025
Woods also revealed that a "major [insurance company] canceled all the policies in our neighborhood about four months ago."
Other celebrities who lost their homes are Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag. According to TMZ, the reality stars' Palisades home burned to the ground on Tuesday. They were able to evacuate earlier in the day.
Mark Hamill, known for his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars was also evacuated from his Malibu residence, per a social media announcement he made asking everyone to "stay safe."
Local officials have warned that the wildfire could escalate as wind gusts are expected to peak at speeds up to 100 miles per hour, fueling the flames and increasing the risk to nearby communities.
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