The Japan Times - Celebrities flee Los Angeles blazes as Hollywood premieres scrapped

The entertainment capital was besieged by out-of-control blazes burning on multiple fronts, with glitzy Hollywood events including a Pamela Anderson film premiere cancelled as hundreds of firefighters battled nearby flames whipped up by hurricane-force winds.

Dozens of homes were known to have been lost in the swanky Pacific Palisades area, a favorite spot for celebrities where multimillion dollar houses nestle on beautiful hillsides, while another inferno devastated parts of Altadena, to the east.

Mandy Moore, the singer and "This Is Us" actress, told followers on Instagram she had fled with her children and pets from the path of the Altadena fire.

"Trying to shield the kids from the immense sadness and worry I feel. Praying for everyone in our beautiful city. So gutted for the destruction and loss. Don't know if our place made it," she wrote.

Emmy award-winning actor James Woods posted a video on X showing flames engulfing trees and bushes near his Pacific Palisades home as he got ready to evacuate, and shortly afterward said all the fire alarms were going off.

"I couldn't believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one," Woods said.

"Star Wars" star Mark Hamill told his followers on Instagram that he had fled his Malibu home on Tuesday.

"Evacuated Malibu so last-minute there were small fires on both sides of the road as we approached PCH," he wrote, referring to the Pacific Coast Highway, a scenic road that connects seafront settlements.

The Luke Skywalker actor said he and his wife Marilou York, along with a pet dog, had gone to their daughter's Hollywood home to escape what he dubbed the "most horrific fire since '93."

- Premieres cancelled -

Meanwhile, several major Hollywood events were abruptly called off due to the disaster.

Anderson's premiere for "The Last Showgirl" was scrapped due to the unfolding disaster, trade website Deadline reported, while Paramount also cancelled a glitzy red-carpet screening of the Robbie Williams musical film "Better Man."

Netflix pulled the plug on a press conference for its Golden Globe winner "Emilia Perez."

A live announcement to unveil this year's Screen Actors Guild nominations was abandoned on Wednesday morning.

And the Universal Studios theme park was closed for the day due to the extreme winds and fire conditions.

Steve Guttenberg -- star of 1984 comedy "Police Academy" -- was among those helping get people out of Pacific Palisades as the fire began spreading on Tuesday.

The "Cocoon" actor expressed frustration at how some of those fleeing the blaze had abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the ritzy neighborhood.

"If you leave your car... leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there. It's really, really important," he told a live television broadcast.

"Schitt's Creek" star Eugene Levy was also among those caught up in gridlock traffic while evacuating, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Reality TV personalities Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt from "The Hills," an MTV show that ran until 2010, said they had lost their house after evacuating.

"I'm watching our house burn down on the security cameras," Pratt wrote on Snapchat.

T.Kobayashi--JT