Palisades Fire: Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt lose home; more celebrities forced to flee ritzy neighborhood
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."
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt and wife Heidi Montag, who began dating on The Hills, lost their home in the Palisades Fire, Pratt and Montag confirmed on their Snapchat accounts on Tuesday.
In a series of videos, Pratt showed how the fire quickly moved over the hill toward their home.
"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.
Montag posted a video in a grocery store stating that their home did burn, but they are safe.
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," Pratt wrote.
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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.
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.
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."
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."
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.