LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of “This Is Us” star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. “Your heart just breaks.”
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
“There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, ‘Oh, this is real. This is happening.’ What good is it to continue watching?’ And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like ‘What good is it to continue watching?'”
Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his “This Is Us” character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art.”
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on “This Is Us,” nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson’s home is “completely gone”, his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
Numerous stars have confirmed their homes were lost or sustained damage in devastating wildfires burning in and around Los Angeles. At least 10 people have died, thousands of structures and vehicles have been destroyed and more than 150,000 people remain under evactuation orders.
Billy Crystal and his wife lost their home of 45 years. Paris Hilton, Jeff Bridges and Cary Elwes and R&B star Jhené Aiko have also said their homes are gone.
The Associated Press