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Palisades Fire: 'General Hospital' star Cameron Mathison’s home destroyed as celebs flee ritzy neighborhood
Pacific Palisades Fire engulfs homes on mountain
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt filmed fire engulfing his home and others in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood after he and wife Heidi Montag were forced to evacuate. (Credit: Spencer Pratt / Snapchat)
A wildfire raging through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate as it consumes homes in the ritzy area, including those belonging to celebrities.
The Palisades Fire, driven by strong Santa Ana winds, began in the Santa Monica Mountains late Tuesday morning and quickly engulfed 200 acres within an hour, surging to nearly 3,000 acres by sunset, FOX Weather reported.
Orange County Fire Chief Brian Fennessy joined “Fox News @ Night” on Tuesday to give an update on how firefighters are battling the fast-moving flames, but said there isn’t much that can be done to stop them, so crews are focusing on evacuating and rescuing anyone still in the area.
“Our main focus is getting people, lives out of the way of these fires,” Fennessy said. “There’s not a lot we can do other than get people out of the way of these fires and then try to attack them … certainly in the Palisades, that’s been the story today.”
PACIFIC PALISADES INFERNO FORCES THOUSANDS TO FLEE CALIFORNIA HOMES; GOV. NEWSOM DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Cameron Mathison shared that his family’s home has been destroyed. (Getty Images)
“General Hospital” actor Cameron Mathison, who evacuated the area on Tuesday, shared a video on Instagram of his property, completely decimated by the fire.
“We are safe But this is what’s left of our beautiful home,” he wrote. “Our home where our kids were raised and where they wanted to raise their own someday. “Thanks to all who reached out and checked in. Can’t respond to all so wanted to give an update here.”
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Reality TV star Spencer Pratt and wife Heidi Montag lost their home in the Palisades Fire, Pratt and Montag confirmed on their Snapchat accounts Tuesday.
In a series of videos, “The Hills” star showed how the fire quickly moved over the hill toward their property.
ACTOR STEVE GUTTENBERG HELPS PALISADES FIRE FIRST RESPONDERS AS FLAMES RAGE, ‘IT’S A GHOST TOWN’
“Well, this isn’t looking good,” Pratt said while videoing the fire on the mountain behind their home. “First time I’ve seen the flames coming over. Aw, man. Okay, I’m going to go pack up I think.”
He later posted a video from his car stating that he was watching their home burn down on their security cameras. Pratt shared a photo of his kid’s room, saying it had burned in the shape of a heart.
Spencer Pratt shared imagery from inside his home, captured by security cameras. (Spencer Pratt/Snapchat)
Montag posted a video in a grocery store stating that their house did burn, but they are safe.
“Well, this isn’t looking good. First time I’ve seen the flames coming over. Aw man. OK, I’m going to go pack up I think.”
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt shared a picture from his security camera as his house was engulfed by the Palisades Fire. (Spencer Pratt/Snapchat)
“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill, who lives in Malibu, told followers that he had evacuated “so last-minute” that fires had formed on both sides of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) – his avenue out of the city. “We were fleeing for our lives,” he wrote in a post to Instagram. Hamill says he, his wife Marilou and dog Trixie evacuated to his daughter Chelsea’s home in Hollywood.
Last month, when fires raged across Malibu, Hamill was “not allowed” to leave his home, forced into lockdown mode.
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Jamie Lee Curtis wrote that her “community and possibly my home is on fire,” to social media, along with a harrowing image of the wildfires. “My family is safe. Many of my friends will lose their homes. Many other communities as well. There are so many conflicting reports. With all the technology there seems to be very little information. PLEASE POST FACTS! IT WILL HELP THOSE WONDERING!”
She continued, “It is a terrifying situation and I’m grateful to the firefighters and all of the good Samaritans who are helping people get out of the way of the blaze. Neighbors have taken care of neighbors. We ALL take everything for granted because we are all living our lives but when it hits your community, it’s particularly shocking. Life on life’s terms. If ever there was need for the use of the phrase MY HAND IN YOURS, it is right now. Take care of each other. Stay out of the way and let the firefighters do their work. Pray if you believe in it and even if you don’t, pray for those who do.”
Actress Mandy Moore shared on her Instagram story that she and her three children, as well as cats and dogs, were able to evacuate, writing “Praying and grateful for the first responders.” On Wednesday morning, the actress shared that her friends had opened their home as a shelter, although she wasn’t sure if her own house had made it through the night.
“Trying to shield the kids from the immense sadness and worry I feel,” she wrote on her Instagram story. “Praying for our beautiful city. So gutted for the destruction and loss. Don’t know if our place made it.”
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Actor Chris Pratt posted on X and asked that people join him in praying for “the brave firefighters sacrificing so much to save our houses and our town.”
“Jesus protect the lives of those battling the flames and the lives of those who couldn’t evacuate,” he wrote.
Nashville resident Jessie James Decker shared ominous photos from Santa Monica. “This was earlier today during our shoot in Santa Monica right next to the fires,” she captioned one photo featuring a plume of smoke. “My stomach is in knots for the city. Praying so hard for everyone’s safety.”
Jessie James Decker shared images from Santa Monica, where she was on location for work. (Jessie James Decker Instagram)
Eugene Levy, the honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades, told the Los Angeles Times in a phone interview that he was stuck in traffic and “smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon. I couldn’t see any flames, but the smoke was very dark.”
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Candace Cameron Bure shared a wildfire image online and wrote that it was “devastating to watch” as the Palisades fire roared on.
“Please pray the winds die down as it’s expected to get worse into the early morning hours,” Bure wrote on Instagram. “Please pray for the safety of firefighters and emergency crews who are fearlessly trying to tackle this disaster. Pray for the safety of every resident.”
“Jesus protect the lives of those battling the flames and the lives of those who couldn’t evacuate.”
Priyanka Chopra shared similar eerie imagery, posting video of the wildfires from afar. “My thoughts are with everyone affected. Hope we are all able to stay safe tonight.”
Priyanka Chopra shared striking video of the fires. (Priyanka Chopra/Instagram)
Travis Barker’s children, Alabama and Landon Barker, both posted on Instagram stories that they were evacuating from their homes Tuesday night.
“Just evacuated from my home do to wild fires in Los Angeles, please be safe!!” Alabama wrote. “They are saying the fires are spreading football field amounts in seconds.”
Actress Denise Crosby, also in a post on X, said that she is safe, along with her husband and dog, but she is not sure if she has a house.
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Crosby shared a video from a beach on Tuesday night and followed that post up with videos from earlier in the day showing smoke near an alley behind her home and from Sunset Boulevard.
Tom Hanks’ son, Chet Hanks, posted on Instagram stories, “The neighborhood I grew up in is burning to the ground.”
Actor James Woods posted a series of videos on X showing his home and neighbors’ homes surrounded by smoke and flames. Woods said his family evacuated from the area safely, and commended first responders and community members for evacuating children from elementary schools within the neighborhood.
“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,” Woods wrote on X. “I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing, but sadly houses on our little street are not.”
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“Shrinking” star Christa B. Miller posted a video of the flames from the Palisades fire and wrote that she was evacuating her neighborhood. She offered “love, prayers and gratitude to all the firefighters working so hard” in an Instagram post.
Professional dancer Derek Hough shared photos to his Instagram account of the fire and said he and his wife are preparing to evacuate with their pets.
“The winds are hitting 100mph, and we’re packing up, preparing to evacuate with our five animals JUST IN CASE,” Hough wrote. “It’s scary with power lines exploding around us and the fires spreading so fast.”
Derek Hough shared that he was evacuating his home. (Christopher Willard/Disney via Getty Images)
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Hough continued his post by thanking firefighters for “risking everything to keep us safe” and said he is sending prayers and love to all firefighters and victims.
Kate Beckinsale, who previously lived in the Pacific Palisades area, wrote of her devasation for the community’s loss. “Hearing the winds last night I prayed,” she wrote to Instagram. “I knew it would be bad- we had to evacuate many times during our life there – but the shock at the whole of the Palisades being destroyed is unthinkably horrific. My daughter and I lived there for most of her childhood and most of her childhood is gone,” she said, referencing her daughter, now 25.
Kate Beckinsale called the fires “hell” in an emotional social media post. (Getty Images)
“Her primary school ,every shop or restaurant we used to go to with my parents and Michael’s [Sheen] parents -and devastatingly ,most of her friends homes .My heart is broken. The Pacific Palisades is a community very unusual to find in Los Angeles, heavy on families with young children and pets, . I’m weeping for all of the people and pets involved ,so many of them I know . My heart is breaking for the families who have lost everything and the people and their animals , not to mention the horses and all the wild animals. This is just like hell. If anyone from village needs shelter and doesn’t still have a number for me ,please contact me on Instagram.”
Stars including Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston, Sophia Bush and Billie Eilish have shared resources on social media for those impacted by the fires.
Dallas, TX
Redesign debate intensifies as Dallas convention center faces costly delays
To redesign the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center or not?
That’s the decision Dallas City Council members will face this week. The redesign is under consideration because the current plans would cut off access to the Jefferson Viaduct, affecting drivers coming from Oak Cliff.
City Manager Kimberly Tolbert is urging the council to vote against the redesign. Tolbert announced earlier this week that changing course would delay the project into 2030 and create significant economic impacts.
“Since we closed the center in 2025, we’ve lost 3,000 associated jobs from not having a fully functioning,” said Craig Davis, Visit Dallas CEO.
A redesign would cost nearly $600 million. Davis said the city stands to lose $1.5 million each month in anticipated hotel tax revenue during the closure, which was already expected to last through 2029.
“Then any potential delay past that is going to get exponentially worse. There’s reputational damage that’s taking place because we’ve moved groups that we had promised,” Davis said.
The City Council is expected to vote on the redesign on Wednesday.
Miami, FL
‘An insane memory’: New World Cup super hero plays in Miami but not with Messi
Curacao better make some room for a new national super hero.
Eloy Room delivered for his tiny Caribbean nation one of the finest performances in World Cup history on Saturday night, making 15 saves against a relentless Ecuador attack and helping The Blue Wave earn its first-ever point with a 0-0 draw against La Tri.
The outcome also allowed Germany, which beat Ivory Coast earlier in the day, to clinch Group E.
“It’s going to be an insane memory,” said Room, who plays for USL Championship club Miami FC. “You don’t think about it when you do it but of course it’s going to be something you look back to. For me as a goalkeeper, this is almost a perfect game.”
The 37-year-old Room, whose shutout of Jamaica last November sent Curacao to its first World Cup, bounced back in historic fashion from a 7-1 loss to Germany. His save total was one shy of the record — since saves became an official stat in 1966 — of 16 set by Tim Howard of the U.S. against Belgium on July 1, 2014, in a game that Room remembers watching.
Howard needed 120 minutes for his total, though. Nobody has made more saves than Room without extra time.
“I think I need a statue in Curacao now,” he said with a smile.
The draw doesn’t eliminate either team from knockout play, but it put Ecuador in dire shape going into its group finale. Those matches take place Thursday with Curacao facing Ivory Coast in Philadelphia and Ecuador playing Germany in New York.
“Well, there are things you cannot explain in football,” Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece said. “We wanted to win. We didn’t do it. I am the one who bears responsibility, and I told my team, ‘If you’re giving it all, competing, I have no complaints.’
“As long as we are alive, we will continue to give it our all. We are very united. We are like a family. No one said it would be easy.”
Ecuador certainly had a home-field advantage Saturday night at the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Its fanbase, dressed like its players in bright yellow shirts, filled the stadium to the brim, making it look like a convention of Minions. There was only a couple of small pockets of blue-clad Curacao fans in a stadium whose capacity could house half of its island citizenry.
Among those in the crowd were Kansas City Royals players Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Starling Marte.
And King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who began a memorable day in Houston cheering the Dutch past Sweden, then flew to Kansas City to watch a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands make history.
“They were even dancing in the locker room to our music,” Room said. “That’s unreal that they witnessed this game.”
The pressure mounted on Ecuador earlier Saturday, when Deniz Undav’s goal in stoppage time lifted Germany to a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. The outcome of that match in Toronto meant that La Tri faced World Cup elimination with a loss to The Blue Wave.
Curacao made sure the pressure continued once play began.
Throughout the first half, 78-year-old coach Dick Advocaat’s team kept finding seams through the middle of Ecuador’s defense, and that created open looks at the goal. But each time, Curacao would end the runs with a sloppy pass or a shot wide of net.
Ecuador wasted its best scoring chance in the opening minutes, when World Cup veteran Enner Valencia found nothing between him and the goalkeeper. But Room guessed right, dived to his left and deflected the shot to keep the game scoreless.
“For us it’s no shock,” Curacao midfielder Tahith Chong said. “We’ve gotten used to Eloy doing these unbelievable saves.”
The pressure of La Tri picked up in the second half — and each time, Room was standing in the way.
Moises Caicedo forced him into making a spectacular save early on, then Valencia did the same with a well-placed header that Room knocked wide. On the ensuing corner kick, Room made two more sensational saves before Curacao finally cleared it.
Ecuador wound up taking 27 shots to just 10 for Curacao. Ten of the 15 saves Room made were inside the box.
It was that kind of special night for him. And that kind of frustrating night for Ecuador.
“The team deserved more than they got,” Beccacece said, “and I am the one who is responsible for that.”
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta sees great value in Swain at No. 23,
I’ve also heard that Atlanta sees great value in Swain at No. 23, but the Hawks have been signaling for some time that they are prepared (and perhaps even prefer) to trade their second pick in the first round after No. 8 for future draft capital. It sounds as though Atlanta will invite external trade interest for that pick until it is actually on the clock to make the selection Tuesday night.
marcstein.substack.com
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