The explosive wildfire event scorching Los Angeles has reduced several historic structures to embers and with the new Sunset Fire expanding the danger to the Hollywood Hills, the famed entertainment industry is itself under threat.
The Palisades Fire has destroyed multiple historic structures at two California state parks, including Will Rogers' ranch house and the historic Topanga Ranch Motel formerly owned by William Randolph Hearst.
Wind gusts up to 80 mph fueled the fire as it tore through Will Rogers State Historic Park and Topanga State Park, causing more than 30 structural losses across both properties.
"California State Parks mourns the loss of these treasured natural and cultural resources," said State Parks Director Armando Quintero. "Our top priority remains the safety of the public, our employees and the responders bravely battling the fires."
Staff evacuated horses and some cultural artifacts, including artwork, from Will Rogers State Historic Park before the fire reached the property. Several state park employee residences were also destroyed in the blaze.
The Will Rogers ranch house, built in the 1920s, was a 31-room residence overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Rogers, known as "America's most beloved citizen," was one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors in the 1930s. His widow donated the 359-acre property to the state park system in 1944.
The Topanga Ranch Motel, built in 1929 by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, originally housed Pacific Coast Highway construction workers. The 30-room bungalow-style motel later became a popular vacation spot and filming location. The state acquired the property in 2001 and had been planning to restore about 20 cabins for public use.
Both parks had been closed as a precautionary measure shortly after the Palisades Fire began Thursday morning. State officials are still working to assess the full extent of the damage.
Iconic Reel Inn fish market off Pacific Coast Highway burns
The Reel Inn, an iconic Malibu seafood shack and fish market known for its Pacific Coast Highway location and kitschy vibe, has burned.
Owner Teddy Leonard says she and her husband Andy watched it burn on TV Tuesday evening from their home a few miles away. A short time later they began packing up their belongings, evacuating and heading to a short-term rental home in Santa Monica.
On Wednesday, Leonard was hopeful her home may have survived the flames. She said restaurant employees have been texting, hoping to rebuild, but it may be a challenge.
“Part of the charm for our little fish shack was my husband’s, you know, collecting of old surfboards, going back to the 1930s that were hanging in the rafters,” Leonard said.
The Reel Inn opened in 1986, but several other restaurants have operated in the same location since the 1940s.
“My husband and I, we keep looking at each other and going, ‘We have each other. We have these beautiful grandchildren and children and life,’” Leonard said.
Getty Villa spared in Palisades fire so far
The Getty Villa, a campus devoted to the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome, says its structures and collection remain safe from the Palisades fire.
The institution, which is located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, provided an update on Wednesday morning. J. Paul Getty Trust President and CEO Katherine E. Fleming says the center will remain closed.
The Getty Center, a hilltop museum about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east, is out of the fire zone but will be closed until at least Sunday to help alleviate traffic in the area.
The Palisades fire is one of several burning in the Los Angeles area, with officials saying more than 1,000 structures have burned and two people have been killed.
Universal Studios Hollywood, an amusement park near the Hollywood Hills, said it would be closed Wednesday.
The Getty Center is not in the current fire zone but will remain closed for the foreseeable future alongside the Villa.
The danger has spread to Hollywood’s history and present.
Flames burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”
The Sunset fire is burning close to several Hollywood landmarks, including the Walk of Fame, TCL Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Bowl.
Awards season is delayed
The blazes have thrown Hollywood's carefully orchestrated awards season into disarray.
Awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed due to the fires. The AFI Awards, which were set to honor “Wicked,” “Anora” and other awards season contenders, had been scheduled for Friday.
The AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, which honor movies and television shows that resonate with older audiences, were set for Friday but have been postponed.
The Critics Choice Awards, originally scheduled for Sunday, have been postponed until Feb. 26.
Each of the shows feature projects that are looking for any advantage they can get in the Oscar race and were scheduled during the Academy Awards voting window.
The Oscar nominations are also being delayed two days to Jan. 19 and the film academy has extended the voting window to accommodate members affected by the fires.
