Hollywood actress calls LA Fires ‘a disaster,’ says not enough was done by elected officials
Hollywood actress Elizabeth Chambers argues not enough was being done by the government during the LA fires.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Chambers, 42, was asked if she believed city officials did everything they could to contain the Los Angeles fires.
"I think it was a disaster," she remarked. "I don't think anybody was ready. I think it is on a scale that nobody anticipated."
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Chambers shared her sentiments regarding billionaire real estate developer and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso.
"And then Caruso saved Palisades Village. … You can get political, or you can't. But, at the end of the day, he had as much time as everyone else to get ready. … I mean, it's untouched. It's eerily untouched."
WATCH: ELIZABETH CHAMBERS CALLS LA FIRES ‘A DISASTER,’ SAYS NOT ENOUGH WAS DONE
"The music is still playing in Palisades Village, as if it's Disneyland and everything around it is destruction. So, do I think the steps were taken appropriately and quickly enough? Absolutely not."
Caruso, who unsuccessfully ran against Karen Bass for mayor in 2022, previously said the non-existent water supply as the Palisades Fire reduced multimillion-dollar real estate to ashes represented "absolute mismanagement by the city."
"There's no water in the Palisades. There's no water coming out of the fire hydrants. This is an absolute mismanagement by the city. Not the firefighters' fault, but the city's," Caruso told Fox11 Los Angeles when the fires raged.
The deadly fires broke out in the Los Angeles area Jan. 7, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee for safety as their homes and businesses were destroyed. Officials on Thursday said more than 30 people remain missing while two additional deaths brought the number of those dead to 27.
Chambers detailed the moment she had to evacuate as she immediately gathered her and her children's personal belongings.
"I took our passports. I took birth certificates. I took pictures of just like that … were around the house … older family photos," she explained to Fox News Digital. "I just packed for a couple of nights."
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The television personality has two children with her ex-husband, Armie Hammer, and shared how she explained the tragic California fires to her young kids, daughter Harper, 10, and son Ford, 7.
"I think, with anything in parenting, you have to be the captain of the plane. … If the captain of the plane is panicking, the passengers are panicking. And I just approach parenting like that in general," she told Fox News Digital.
"But if the pilot of the plane is not panicking and saying everything's fine, and you know that you're about to crash, you also don't trust the pilot. So, you know, it's transparency. It's really honest conversations and its reassurance.
"You can say a lot of people are losing their homes right now. We have everything that's important. And no matter what, we're a family. And we're healthy, and we're together. And we'll always have a place to live, and that's what you can say," she noted.
WATCH: ELIZABETH CHAMBERS RAISES MONEY FOR LA FIRES WITH CHARITY CUPCAKES
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Chambers is helping raise money for the victims of the California fires through her charity, Cupcake for a Cause.
The Bird Bakery owner is donating 100% of the proceeds from their Strawberry Lemonade Cupcake to the Los Angeles Fire Department until February 1.
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"Over the past almost 13 years in business, we have consistently created a CUPCAKE FOR A CAUSE™️ to benefit a multitude of tragedies and events in our community and beyond, and this is no exception," Chambers’ company posted on Instagram earlier this week.
"My children and I have been evacuated for the past 7 days and we’re still praying for the safety of our house, but we’re the lucky ones. This has truly been the most devastating unthinkable for so many, and this is our chance to help."
"It's a vanilla cake with sliced strawberries folded in and lemon butter cream," Chambers told Fox News Digital. "And we've sold so many already in the last few days, and that money goes directly to the LA Fire Department Foundation."
She noted that the flavor is meaningful because 90% of all strawberries grown in the United States come from California, and "we are turning lemons into lemonade."
Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.