The famous area of ​​Los Angeles devastated by fire

Los Angeles’ affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood typically has foreigners walking by, trying to catch a glimpse of celebrity homes.

Now, however, its streets are filled with firefighters fighting a 3,000-hectare fire that is devastating the area.

Across the city, more than 30,000 were forced to evacuate their homes as the winds sparked three fires. A state of emergency was declared, leaving the roads narrow as people fled.

Among them, a number of famous faces were forced to flee their usually idyllic homes in California, including Star Wars’ Mark Hamill and Schitt’s Creek actor Eugene Levy.

James Woods, who has starred in films including Nixon and Casino, described the evacuation of his home on social media, and said he wasn’t sure if he was still standing.

“It feels like losing a loved one,” she wrote.

Pacific Palisades is known for being exclusive, with a home costing $4.5 million (£3.6 million) on average by November 2024, according to Realtor.com.

The northern neighborhood of LA is bordered to the south by a three-mile (4.8 km) stretch of beaches on the Pacific Ocean, nestled between Malibu and Santa Monica.

It is a hub for fashion shops, cafes and a farmers market.

But the Palisades fire – which grew from 10 hectares to more than 2,900 in a matter of hours – shattered the idyllic nature of the area.

Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame called the blaze the “worst fire since ’93” — which burned 18,000 acres and destroyed 323 homes in nearby Malibu — in an Instagram post.

He said he evacuated his home in Malibu “so at the last minute there (were) small fires on both sides of the road.”

Levy, who became famous for his role in the American Pie film series, told local media that he was forced to evacuate his home.

“The smoke looked very black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn’t see any flames, but the smoke was very dark,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

Spencer Pratt and reality star Heidi Montag lost their family home in a fire, her sister wrote on Instagram.

“My heart goes out to my brother, Heidi and the kids,” he said. “Even the fire station in Palisades is burning.”

Miles Teller, best known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick, and his wife Keleigh, also live in the area.

Posting on Instagram, Ms. Teller shared a photo of the fires and a heartbroken emoji. She urged people to leave water bowls for pets while evacuating their homes.

Meanwhile, the actor Steve Guttenberg, known for the Police Academy, was there to help the firefighters by moving cars to make room for the incoming fire trucks.

He urged residents to leave their car keys behind so they could be moved out of the way of firefighters.

“We really need people to move their cars,” he told KTLA press: “This is not a parking lot.”

It’s not just famous residents affected by the wildfire – notable buildings in the area are also threatened.

The Palisades Charter High School – which served as a set for the films and counts many notable people as former students – was damaged by the fire, local media reported.

The fire school has been used in films including the 1976 horror classic Carrie and Project X, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Former students include director JJ Abrams, musician Will.i.am and actors Forest Whitaker and Katey Sagal.

The Getty Villa is an art museum in the Palisades that has a large collection of artwork and artifacts, including works by Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.

The museum confirmed on Tuesday that it had closed to the public and that some trees and vegetation on the site had burned – but said that “no structures are on fire, and staff and the collection remain safe”.

Star-studded events that were supposed to be in the area were also canceled.

Film premieres for Unstoppable, Better Man and Wolfman were canceled, as was the live Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations event.