A raging fire in Los Angeles is disrupting Hollywood movie premieres, and some celebrities may be forced to evacuate.
Fueled by a severe wind storm pummeling Southern California, a bush fire in LA spread over 1,200 acres and forced the evacuation of thousands of people on Tuesday.
A mandatory evacuation order was issued in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood due to life-threatening conditions between Piedra Morada Drive and the Pacific Coast Highway. The Los Angeles Fire Department also stated that multiple homes were under immediate threat.
Tinseltown is also feeling the brunt of the fiery conditions. On Tuesday, the premiere of Jennifer Lopez’s latest film, “Unstoppable,” was canceled due to “safety concerns around heightened wind activity and fire outbreaks.”
Live updates: Pacific Palisades wildfire rages as tens of thousands forced to evacuate
“As much as we were looking forward to celebrating this wonderful and inspiring film with you, safety is our first priority,” a spokesperson “for Unstoppable,” Emily Teichner, said in a statement to USA TODAY.
“We encourage everyone to watch ‘Unstoppable’ on Prime Video, which will be available globally on Jan. 16.”
The Palisades Fire was reported around 11 a.m. local time and quickly spread through the afternoon. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but experts are crediting brutal Santa Ana winds, low humidity and critically dry fuels for its strength, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Steve Guttenberg, known for movies such as “Three Men and a Baby,” “Police Academy” and “Short Circuit,” took action Tuesday to help his community.
As the fire blazed in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, video from NBC Los Angeles showed thousands attempting to evacuate via car, thus creating massive traffic jams along the highway, a crucial artery, and on roads nearby. The city of Santa Monica additionally closed a westbound portion of Interstate 10 to help smooth fire evacuations.
Some people were forced to abandon their cars as they sought to flee the area. That’s where Guttenberg stepped in and helped fire crews by moving cars on streets close to the fire so emergency vehicles could drive through.
“In a crisis, always remember that you are, you’re part of a community,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly in a phone interview. “And if you’re able-bodied, you’ve got to help. You’ve got to help. You can’t walk by somebody when they need something. You just can’t walk by them. You have to help them. There are a lot of people who need help. Some people are so scared. Some people are in wheelchairs, some people are old or infirm, and you need to help them, and you can’t just walk by.”
“I knew that we needed emergency vehicles through there,” he told EW. “And I wasn’t the only one. But I started just moving cars.”
In an interview with KTLA 5, Guttenberg urged people evacuating that if they decide to leave their car on the road, they should “leave the keys in the car so that we can move your car so that these firetrucks can get up.”
Eugene Levy, who’s currently the Honorary Mayor of the Pacific Palisades community, was forced to evacuate Tuesday.
In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, the Canadian “Schitt’s Creek” actor said he was stuck in traffic and that “The smoke looked pretty black and intense of Temescal Canyon.”
“I couldn’t see any flames, but the smoke was very dark,” he added.
The premiere of the supernatural horror “Wolf Man” was also derailed because of the Pacific Palisades fire, according to an official statement from Universal Pictures.
“Tonight’s premiere of ‘Wolf Man’ is cancelled due to sensitivities around the worsening weather situation in LA and related evacuations,” Universal spokesperson Elpin Keshishzadeh said.
The Leigh Whannell-directed werewolf horror, a remake of 1941’s “The Wolf Man,” stars Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott and Sam Jaeger.
Oscar-nominated actor James Woods revealed on social media Tuesday that he was forced to evacuate amid the worsening fire, sharing a photo of a burning hillside.
Woods isn’t the only celebrity who resides in the Pacific Palisades area, an affluent residential neighborhood located about 20 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles.
A number of stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Eugene Levy, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler and Michael Keaton, reportedly call the region home, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“To all the wonderful people who’ve reached out to us, thank you for being so concerned,” Woods wrote on X. “Just letting you know that we were able to evacuate successfully. I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing, but sadly, houses on our little street are not.”
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Pamela Avila, USA TODAY
