Entertainment

Hollywood cancels film premieres as firefighters battle ‘extreme’ wildfire

There have been no injuries reported, but multiple structures have been damaged in the blaze which saw more than 250 firefighters on the scene.

Firefighters battle the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles (Etienne Laurent/AP)
Firefighters battle the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles (Etienne Laurent/AP) (Etienne Laurent/AP)
By Ellie Iorizzo, PA Los Angeles Correspondent

The Hollywood premieres of Unstoppable, starring Jennifer Lopez, and Ryan Gosling-produced Wolf Man have been cancelled as 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate a rapidly growing wind-driven wildfire in California.

Residents living in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, home to numerous A-list celebrities, were told “don’t wait, evacuate” by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services as the blaze burned more than 1,200 acres within the first five hours.

“Los Angeles is currently experiencing an extreme fire weather condition with red flag alert,” the Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said during a press briefing.

Flames rise as the Palisades Fire advances on homes in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles (Ethan Swope/AP)
Flames rise as the Palisades Fire advances on homes in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles (Ethan Swope/AP) (Ethan Swope/AP)

“The fire is being fueled by a combination of strong winds and surrounding topography, which is making it extremely challenging for our personnel that are assigned to this incident.

She confirmed there had been no injuries, but multiple structures had been damaged in the blaze which saw more than 250 firefighters – including 46 engines and five helicopters – on the scene.

The rapidly growing fire led to event cancellations in Hollywood, including the premiere of monster tale Wolf Man, starring Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott.

Water is dropped by helicopter on the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles (Etienne Laurent/AP)
Water is dropped by helicopter on the advancing Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles (Etienne Laurent/AP) (Etienne Laurent/AP)

“Tonight’s premiere of Wolf Man is cancelled due to sensitivities around the worsening weather situation in LA and related evacuations,” a Universal spokesperson told the PA news agency.

The star-studded premiere of Unstoppable, a biopic of US wrestler Anthony Robles who won a national championship with one leg, was also cancelled following the evacuation orders.

Unstoppable is the directorial debut from William Goldenberg and sees Jharrel Jerome play Robles and Lopez star as his mother Judy.

It is not yet clear if Paramount’s premiere of Better Man about British singer Robbie Williams will be cancelled on Wednesday.

Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles (Jae C Hong/AP)
Smoke from a wildfire is seen from the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles (Jae C Hong/AP) (Jae C. Hong/AP)

During the press briefing, Governor Gavin Newsom thanked US President Joe Biden for offering help with a state of emergency declared.

“By no stretch of the imagination are we out of the woods,” Governor Newsom said, suggesting the highest winds were forecast overnight.

Plumes of thick black smoke billowed over miles of traffic jams as residents attempted to flee, with authorities bringing in bulldozers to unblock roads from abandoned vehicles, according to US reports.

Among the stars evacuating was US actor James Woods, who shared security camera footage on X of flames engulfing a nearby home and at the bottom of his balcony.

“We were blessed to have LA fire and police depts doing their jobs so well. We are safe and out…Can not speak more highly of the LA fire and LAPD,” the Golden Globe and two-time Emmy-winning actor wrote.

Actor Steve Guttenberg, who lives in the Pacific Palisades, urged people who abandoned their cars to leave their keys behind so they could be moved to make way for fire trucks.

“This is not a parking lot,” he told KTLA. “I have friends up there and they can’t evacuate… I’m walking up there as far as I can moving cars.”

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Fire Department said in a statement: “People in the area of Palisades need to evacuate now due to a rapidly moving wildfire.

“Pack all people and pets into your vehicle and leave the area immediately.

“If you are not in the mandatory evacuation zone, stay off the roads to allow first responders and evacuees to move quickly.”

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said southern California is facing a “critical” weather event as “strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity” were causing “extreme wildfire risks”.

Forecasters from the National Weather Service for Los Angeles warned of “life-threatening, destructive” gusts that could last for days, bringing extreme fire risk to areas that have not seen substantial rain for many months.

It comes less than a month after residents in Malibu were evacuated from a wind-driven blaze dubbed the Franklin Fire, which saw more than 4,000 acres burn and stars including Dick Van Dyke, Cher and Jane Seymour forced to leave their homes.