Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal are among the celebrities who have lost homes in the deadly wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area. More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed as six separate blazes burn in and around the city, which is dotted with film stars' mansions. Some of the worst devastation was in the scenic enclave of Pacific Palisades, where a wind-whipped inferno exploded from several hundred acres to more than 15,000 in size since Tuesday. A swathe of the neighborhood, which is a haven of hillside streets nestled against the Santa Monica Mountains and winding down to beaches along the Pacific Ocean, was reduced to ash. Actor James Woods, who starred in films including Nixon and Casino, broke down in tears on CNN as he described losing his Pacific Palisades property. "One day you're swimming in the pool and the next day it's all gone," he told the network. He wiped away tears as he described how his wife's eight-year-old niece offered them her piggybank to help rebuild their house. Actor Billy Crystal said in a statement that he and his wife, Janice, were "heartbroken" by the loss of their Pacific Palisades home where they had lived in since 1979. The When Harry Met Sally star said in a statement: "We raised our children and grandchildren here. "Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away. "We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this." Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler and Michael Keaton also reportedly have homes in the Pacific Palisades. Hotel heiress Paris Hilton said she had lost her home in Malibu. She wrote in an Instagram post: "Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience. "This home is where we built so many precious memories... My heart and prayers are going out to every family affected by these fires." Miles Teller, best known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick, and his wife, Keleigh Sperry, reportedly lost their home, too, in the Pacific Palisades. Posting on Instagram, Sperry shared a picture of the fires and a broken heart emoji. She urged people to leave bowls of water for animals left behind as they evacuate their homes. Other stars forced to flee their homes include Star Wars' actor Mark Hamill and Schitt's Creek actor Eugene Levy. In a post on Instagram, Hamill called the blaze the "most horrific" since 1993, when 18,000 acres burned, destroying 323 homes in Malibu. He said he had evacuated his Malibu house "so last-minute there [were] small fires on both sides of the road". Levy described to local media "black and intense" smoke over Temescal Canyon. "I couldn't see any flames but the smoke was very dark," he told the Los Angeles Times. Actor Cameron Mathison also shared a clip of his house reduced to smouldering ruins. "We are safe. But this is what's left of our beautiful home," the General Hospital star wrote. "Our home where our kids were raised and where they wanted to raise their own someday." Legendary songwriter Diane Warren, who composed classic hits including If I Could Turn Back Time and I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, also lost her home. She posted a picture of the beachfront near her house, saying that the property she's had for close to three decades was gone. Actor Steve Guttenberg, known for Police Academy, stayed to help firefighters by moving cars to clear a path for incoming fire trucks. He urged fellow Pacific Palisades residents to leave the keys in their abandoned cars so they could be moved. Meanwhile, the Palisades Charter High School - used in the 1976 horror classic Carrie - has been devastated. Former students include director JJ Abrams, musician Will.i.am, and actor Forest Whitaker. Star-studded events also were cancelled. Film premieres for Unstoppable, Better Man and Wolfman have been called off, as has the Screen Actors Guild Awards live ceremony, while the Oscar nominations event was postponed. Meanwhile, a new blaze broke out on Wednesday night, the Sunset fire, in the Hollywood Hills, near where the world-famous Hollywood sign nestles in the hillside. — BBC
