On January 7th, the largest natural disaster in the history of the United States began with the fire originating in Pacific Palisades, a residential neighborhood of Los Angeles located between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains, which quickly spread to other areas of the city. In Palisades, many celebrities reside in million-dollar mansions whose average price reaches 4.5 million euros. While many residents were being evacuated, Steve Guttenberg (66) stood out as the first known face to stay behind to help the firefighters.
The star of "Three Men and a Baby," protected by a cap and a mask, lent a hand to clear debris, distribute food, help neighbors evacuate, and, above all, to move abandoned cars blocking the road as people fled in panic. "Please, leave the keys in the cars because it will be much easier to remove them so that the firefighters can do their job properly," he repeated in various television appearances.
"It is very important that we help each other and not worry about our properties, only about getting out of here. I have friends who cannot be evacuated right now," he told Fox News. He emphasized that "even if someone is an actor, producer, writer, director, we are all people... Maybe people can donate to some kind of fund at some point. I just think about being a good neighbor right now," he said on television.
After seeing on television that her Malibu mansion was being reduced to ashes, Paris Hilton (43) has created an emergency fund through her non-profit organization 11:11 Media Impact to help the victims, to which she has contributed 100,000 euros. "As a mother, I cannot imagine the pain and fear of not having a safe place for their babies," she wrote on her Instagram profile. She is also collaborating with the Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) whose donations will provide short-term housing, hotel stays for families, deliver essential items, and support local animal shelters.
Ben Affleck left his 20 million euro mansion in Pacific Palisades last Thursday heading to Brentwood where Jennifer Garner (52), his first ex-wife, lives with their three children, Violet (19), Seraphina (16), and Samuel (12). The star of the series "Alias" asked José Andrés for permission to collaborate with his NGO World Central Kitchen. Since then, she has been distributing meals in her community to help emergency services. While contributing her bit, she learned that one of her best friends had died in one of the fires and that her ex-husband had ultimately lost his home.
Another Samaritan who was one of the first to offer help is Jamie Lee Curtis (66), who hours after the alert was declared in Pacific Palisades, went to Jimmy Fallon's show where she described what was happening as a real catastrophe. With a choked voice and on the verge of tears, she made a desperate plea: "Please donate to the Red Cross." The star, along with her husband Christopher Guest, has donated one million dollars (almost one million euros) to help the Los Angeles Fire Department and is also in contact with authorities to stay informed of the needs.
Also not hesitating to do their part are Halle Berry (58), Sharon Stone (66), and Michelle Pfeiffer (66) who have emptied their wardrobes to donate to The Coop, a distribution center that allows victims to access clothing and essential items for free. The three have encouraged their followers to do the same. The star of "Monster's Ball" (2002) said, "this is something we can do right now to help displaced families in need of the basics." And Stone, for her part, said, "If you need something, come to The Coop."
The Kardashian clan had to leave their respective mansions because the fire was approaching the areas where they live, specifically Hidden Hills and Calabasas. Aware of their influence, Kim Kardashian (44) was the first to donate clothing to the non-profit organization Baby2Baby, which provides basic items to children in need, and contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation to equip them. The entire family has also donated hundreds of meals from their favorite Armenian-Lebanese restaurant to firefighters and emergency personnel.
Even royalty wanted to show their most charitable side. This time, Prince Harry of England (40) and Meghan Markle (43) visited the Pasadena Convention Center, converted into a hub for evacuations, to inquire about the situation. There, they distributed food. At one point, the son of Charles III (76) unintentionally starred in a nice anecdote when he offered an elderly man a sandwich, a piece of fruit, or water. Not knowing who he was, the man said he most desired a donut. So Harry went out to find one and ten minutes later gave it to the old man. In their Encino mansion, they have housed their friends who are victims of the fires.