Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faced mounting criticism from Hollywood celebrities Tuesday, January 7, as the Palisades Fire devastated Los Angeles, California, destroying more than 1,000 homes and forcing nearly 200,000 residents to evacuate amid severe infrastructure challenges.
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar initiated the public outcry on Instagram, highlighting the city’s inadequate evacuation management. She pointed out the complete gridlock and absence of traffic officers, directing her criticism at both the City of Los Angeles and Mayor Bass through tagged social media accounts.
The Palisades Fire, which ignited in the Santa Monica Mountains, rapidly expanded from 200 acres to approximately 17,000 acres within hours. Santa Ana winds, reaching speeds of up to 75 mph, fueled the fire’s explosive growth. At least five deaths have been confirmed in connection with the fires, making it one of the most destructive in Los Angeles County history.
Actor Steve Guttenberg emerged as an unexpected hero, assisting first responders by helping to clear abandoned vehicles blocking Sunset Boulevard. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Guttenberg described the scene as reminiscent of “Zombieland” with abandoned cars littering the streets. He emphasized that the situation was complicated by evacuating residents leaving their vehicles without keys, preventing emergency crews from accessing affected areas.
The fire’s path of destruction claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Anthony Hopkins, James Woods, Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, Mark Hamill, and Mandy Moore. Stars Montag and Pratt shared their evacuation experience on Snapchat, with Pratt later reporting that they watched their home burn via security cameras. Pratt documented the heartbreaking moment when flames crested the hill behind their property, forcing them to flee.
Former “Dancing with the Stars” professional Valentin Chmerkovskiy voiced concerns about the city’s infrastructure, questioning how the fifth-largest economy in the world could face such basic firefighting challenges as insufficient water pressure. Model Amber Rose echoed these concerns, expressing disbelief over the reported low water pressure in fire hydrants throughout Los Angeles.
Sara Foster delivered a pointed critique of California’s leadership on social media platform X, highlighting issues including empty fire hydrants, overgrown vegetation, and reservoir management decisions. Her comments gained traction when reposted by Candace Cameron Bure, who had previously expressed concern about the recovery prospects for affected families and small businesses.
Jillian Michaels, who lost her own home in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, criticized California’s leadership, noting Bass’s absence in Ghana and the reported $17 million cut to the fire department’s budget. She also addressed Governor Gavin Newsom’s handling of the crisis, questioning the timing of National Guard deployment despite early awareness of fire risks.
The fires severely disrupted the entertainment industry, forcing the postponement of the Critics Choice Awards and halting various TV and film productions. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences extended Oscar nomination deadlines in response to the emergency. The Getty Villa, Reel Inn, and Palisades Charter High School were among the iconic landmarks threatened or damaged by the flames.
Actor Dean Cain appeared on “Fox & Friends,” characterizing the situation as a “perfect storm of mismanagement and leadership failure.” Zachary Levi echoed these sentiments on Jesse Waters “Primetime,” calling for accountability from California’s political leadership.
James Woods, who lost his home, attributed the devastation not to climate change but to what he termed administrative failures. He documented his evacuation process throughout the day before confirming the loss of his Pacific Palisades residence.
The fire response effort has drawn federal attention, with President Biden approving a major disaster declaration for California and directing Defense Department resources to assist. Military assets have been deployed to supplement local firefighting capabilities, which have been stretched to their limits.
In response to criticism, California Governor Gavin Newsom defended the state’s actions during a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper. He rejected former President-elect Trump’s accusations against him about the Los Angeles wildfires. Speaking from the site of an actively burning structure, Newsom described how residents were evacuating, lives had been lost, and community institutions like schools and churches were destroyed. The governor emphasized his preference to avoid political rhetoric during the crisis.
Newsom’s comments were in response to Trump’s rant earlier on Truth Social. He blamed the governor for the deadly fires, which have impacted multiple neighborhoods and destroyed numerous structures in the Los Angeles area.
Newsom accompanied President Biden to meet with fire response officials. He expressed appreciation for Biden’s supportive approach to the emergency, which came after Newsom’s declaration of a state emergency in California. The governor noted Biden’s focus on unified community support rather than political division during the crisis.
As the fires continued to burn, authorities warned of potential looting in evacuated areas and urged residents to take evacuation orders seriously. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed the Palisades Fire originated near the southeast side of Palisades Drive, with evacuation orders expanding as the blaze grew to encompass thousands of acres.
