Updated October 29th, 2019 at 14:10 IST

Wildfire destroys posh homes in LA, some celebrities forced to flee

A rapid wildfire has destroyed posh homes worth millions of dollars in Los Angeles on October 28 and forced many celebrities to flee their homes overnight

Reported by: Sounak Mitra
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A rapid wildfire has destroyed posh homes worth millions of dollars in one of the upscale residential area in Los Angeles on October 28 and forced celebrities to leave their homes in the middle of the night. An evacuation order was directed to the posh area of Brentwood, a suburb which lies on the western part of the city and became world-famous in 1994 when the former football star OJ Simpson was accused of killing his ex-wife and a waiter there. Many famous celebrities like basketball superstar LeBron James, A-list Hollywood actors, wealthy producers, and media company executives reside in Brentwood.

READ: Firefighters Battle Fierce Wildfires Across California

Multi-million dollar homes burnt slowly

James said that he along with his family had to flee his home during the wee hours looking for a place to stay. James wrote on Twitter, "Had to emergency evacuate my house and I've been driving around with my family trying to get rooms". James bought an eight-bedroom home in Brentwood in late 2017 which is worth $23 million, according to the media reports. On the northern portion of Brentwood, many multi-million dollar homes started burning slowly along a street adorned with Halloween decorations. Dense smoke and ash was released into the air which forced the water dropping choppers and airplane tankers to take actions.

READ: Change Of Weather Helps Firefighters Control Los Angeles Wildfires

Celebrities and Personalities flee homes

Ex-California Governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger also said that he also had to evacuate overnight with thousands of other people. Mr. Schwarzenegger wrote on Twitter, "If you are in an evacuation zone, don't screw around Get out." A red carpet premiere for Schwarzenegger's new movie Terminator: Dark Fate that was scheduled for Monday night was cancelled due to wildfires in the area. The premiere had been rescheduled to take place several miles from the fire zone.

Actor Clark Gregg and screenwriter Kurt Sutter also wrote on Twitter that they had been forced to flee their homes. The food that was intended for the premiere party was being donated to local American Red Cross shelters where the fire evacuees took shelter. The Monday fire broke out in the hills where Simpson had lived and was in close proximity to Getty Center, a museum that has several collections of art of late oil businessman J Paul Getty. According to the museum's website, it includes works by Rembrandt and Van Gogh. The fire has forced several schools to shut down in the nearby areas.

READ: California Wildfires: 97% Of Customers Have Power Restored At Home

READ: California: Fast-moving Wildfires Drive Thousands From Their Homes

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Published October 29th, 2019 at 12:00 IST