Actor James Woods announced on Jan. 10 that his Pacific Palisades home miraculously survived the devastating Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed much of his neighborhood and left parts of the city looking like the set of a war movie.
Scores of residents have returned to their still-smoldering neighborhoods, even as the threat of new fires looms and the nation’s second-largest city remains on edge.
Woods, who had evacuated earlier in the week alongside tens of thousands of residents, shared updates on the destruction in his neighborhood after returning to examine the damage. In one post, Woods said he had feared his house was lost to the blaze but—thanks to what he described as a “miracle”—he found his home was still standing.
“A miracle has happened,” Woods wrote in a post on social media platform X. “We managed to get to our property and our home, that we were told is gone forever, is still standing. In this hellish landscape ’standing' is relative, but smoke and other damage is not like the utter destruction around us.”
Other celebrities, including Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal, confirmed their homes were lost or damaged. Woods expressed gratitude for the outpouring of supportive messages while also sympathizing with those who were not as fortunate.
“So many beautiful messages from all of you,” he wrote in a post. “I’m so happy and grateful, but honestly the entire area looks like the dark side of the moon. It’s so fundamentally gut-wrenching and upsetting, it’s almost hard to celebrate the joyous news that our home survived.”
On Saturday, after five days of urban wildfires, there was only rubble where warehouses, buildings, and other structures once sat in large swaths of the greater Los Angeles area. Since the fires erupted across a densely populated 25-mile area north of downtown Los Angeles, they have destroyed more than 12,300 structures, including homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings, and vehicles. Badly burnt cars with their windows gone lined the streets.
Flames from the Palisades Fire burns a building at Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2025. Apu Gomes/Getty Images
Cars are left charred at a dealership in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 10, 2025. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
At least 11 people are believed to have been killed in the fires, pending final confirmation, according to the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner. Officials anticipate the death toll will rise as cadaver dogs comb through leveled neighborhoods and crews evaluate the devastation. The cause of the largest fires remains unknown.
Accusations of leadership failures and political blame are emerging, alongside ongoing investigations. On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom directed state officials to investigate why a 117-million-gallon reservoir was out of service and some hydrants ran dry, describing the situation as “deeply troubling.”
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley criticized city leadership for underfunding her department’s firefighting efforts and highlighted the inadequate water supply as a critical issue.
Homeowners return to their fire-ravaged neighborhood in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 10, 2025. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
A neighborhood destroyed by the Palisades Fire is seen in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles on Jan. 10, 2025. John Locher/AP Photo
The potential economic loss and damage from the fires is estimated to be between $135 billion and $150 billion, according to the latest AccuWeather update on Jan. 11. The preliminary damage estimate accounts for both insured and uninsured losses, including property damage, wage impacts, infrastructure destruction, supply chain disruptions, and other related effects.
State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has enacted an emergency moratorium to prohibit insurance companies from canceling or not renewing policies of those who have lost homes and buildings due to the fires. The moratorium, enacted by state law, will be in place for one year.
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
