NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Liam Hemsworth, Gerard Butler, Kim Basinger: Stars' homes destroyed in California wildfires

Daily Mail
14 Nov, 2018 03:12 AM10 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

An estimated 250,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes to escape three major fast moving blazes in the state.

Liam Hemsworth has shared heartbreaking photos of the destroyed Malibu mansion he shared with Miley Cyrus, as Kim Basinger became the latest celebrity to reveal her house was razed to the ground by the California wildfires.

Hemsworth and Basinger are just two of the stars so far affected by the Woolsey fire, which has killed two people and destroyed 370 structures, tearing through more than 96,000 acres in Southern California.

Gerard Butler, Robin Thicke, Neil Young, Camille Grammer Meyer of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills are also among those who have lost their homes, the Daily Mail reports.

Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire as it burns a home in Malibu, California. Photo / AP
Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire as it burns a home in Malibu, California. Photo / AP

Dozens of other stars have been evacuated including Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, pop star Pink and Lady Gaga.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Read more:
As death toll climbs, investigators face grim task of finding remains

And the danger hasn't subsided yet. Fire officials report the Woolsey blaze is only 35 per cent contained and as some evacuated neighborhoods were reopened, the blaze roared to life again in the Santa Monica Mountains.

A massive plume rose suddenly at midmorning near the community of Lake Sherwood, prompting authorities to send aircraft to drop retardant and water on the blaze.

View this post on Instagram

It’s been a heartbreaking few days. This is what’s left of my house. Love. Many people in Malibu and surrounding areas in California have lost their homes also and my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by these fires. I spent the day in Malibu yesterday and it was amazing to see the community pulling together to help each other out in any way they can. Malibu is a strong community and this event is only going to make it stronger. Thankful for the all the great local guys that helped keep smaller fires out around my property. I love u guys. I love you Malibu. Thank you to all the hero firefighters around California. It’s going to be a journey to rebuild. Stay strong all. To help/donate visit @malibufoundation and @happyhippiefdn

A post shared by Liam Hemsworth (@liamhemsworth) on Nov 13, 2018 at 8:31am PST

Forecasters had warned of continuing fire danger in Southern California due to persistent Santa Ana winds, the withering, dry gusts that sweep out of the interior toward the coast, pushing back moist ocean breezes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hemsworth returned to his Malibu mansion on Monday local time and shared a photo of what was left of his house on Instagram.

The picture showed a lot completely strewn with rubble, and four intact letters that spelled out 'LOVE'.

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth's Malibu house has been destroyed. Photo / AP
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth's Malibu house has been destroyed. Photo / AP

"It's been a heartbreaking few days," Hemsworth wrote in the caption. "This is what's left of my house. Love.

"Many people in Malibu and surrounding areas in California have lost their homes also and my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by these fires."

Discover more

World

Investigators face grim task after California fires

12 Nov 05:06 PM
World

Stars caught up in California fires

12 Nov 05:16 PM
World

Road to hell: Thousands stuck in traffic as they flee wildfires

13 Nov 06:25 AM
Entertainment

Ireland Basinger-Baldwin accused of looting own home after fires

13 Nov 07:00 PM

Miley revealed on Sunday local time that her and Hemsworth's US$2.52 million Malibu mansion had been burned to the ground.

The Malibu homes of a bunch of celebrities were destroyed in the California wildfires. Graphic / Daily Mail
The Malibu homes of a bunch of celebrities were destroyed in the California wildfires. Graphic / Daily Mail

"Completely devastated by the fires affecting my community. I am one of the lucky ones. My animals and the LOVE OF MY LIFE made it out safely and that's all that matters right now," she wrote on Instagram.

"My house no longer stands but the memories shared with family and friends stand strong. I am grateful for all I have left. Sending so much love and gratitude to the firefighters and LA County Sheriff's Department!"

The couple announced today that they are donating US$500,000 to the Malibu Foundation through Cyrus' own charity the Happy Hippie Foundation to help "restore Malibu's magic".

"Miley and Liam lost their home but are very grateful to be safe along with their animals! Their community and state are very special to them and they want to give back to the place that has created so many beautiful memories for themselves and others," a representative for Cyrus said.

Gerard Butler posted a video to his Instagram as he discovered the extent of the devastation. Photo / Instagram
Gerard Butler posted a video to his Instagram as he discovered the extent of the devastation. Photo / Instagram

"These funds will be used for those in financial need, emergency relief assistance, community rebuilding, wildfire prevention and climate change resilience."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Gerard Butler also filmed the devastation of his home and smouldering neighbourhood.

"It's like a war zone," Butler told viewers as he surveyed the area at the weekend. "Every house after a certain point is gone. What a difference a day can make to a community."

Butler posted the videos to his Instagram on Monday local time, writing in the caption that his heart "aches for all those who lost their homes and their lives in California".

"A lot of people lost everything and will have to rebuild from scratch," he added. "I am okay and so grateful for all of the well wishes."

Butler also spoke to reporters outside of his home and appeared emotional as he talked about how the fires were affecting the community. The 300 star also thanked first responders and discussed his plans for rebuilding.

Firefighters hose down hot spots in a wildfire-ravaged home in Malibu. Photo / AP
Firefighters hose down hot spots in a wildfire-ravaged home in Malibu. Photo / AP

Alec Baldwin's daughter Ireland also revealed the news that her mother, Kim Basinger, had lost her Malibu home.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"So many friends and friends and family of friends are losing everything they own in these fires," Ireland tweeted. "My mom and her partner lost their Malibu home in #Woolseyfire and thankfully, they are both safe."

Ireland had also been forced to evacuate her Malibu home and spoke of the drama of trying to return to it on Monday local time.

The model complained that a cop guarding one of the main streets leading into Malibu had blocked her and a friend from getting in and accused them of being looters.

In a series of posts, Ireland explained that she arrived in Malibu to rescue any possessions she could from her own home and try to help others escape.

April Love Geary, Robin Thicke's girlfriend, revealed the extent of the devastation at their home. Photo / Instagram
April Love Geary, Robin Thicke's girlfriend, revealed the extent of the devastation at their home. Photo / Instagram

Despite not having proof of address on her - because her ID and passport are registered to her business address - Ireland said multiple cops along the way assured her she would be able to get in if she filled out a few forms.

But that turned out not to be the case when Ireland was confronted by one officer who told her to turn around.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"He assumed we were looters trying to get into Malibu to steal. He didn't say he wasn't letting us into Malibu because of looting, he literally called us looters," Ireland wrote on her Instagram story.

"He told us to turn around an cooperate or we were getting arrested."

As for her house, Ireland said she has no idea whether it is still standing but revealed all of her pets and her boyfriend were out of harm's way.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler's Malibu home was also levelled by the fire. It was reduced to just a steel staircase. Kapler said his two sons and ex-wife had evacuated and were safe.

Will Smith expressed fears about the fire touching his home. Photo / Instagram
Will Smith expressed fears about the fire touching his home. Photo / Instagram

"Our family is good. There are a lot of other families who are not," he told The Athletic. "Everything is replaceable. It's all just stuff. A home was stuff. To so many people, that home is their shelter and their safe haven.

"But everything we lost is replaceable. Our family is going to be fine. The love and support is incredible."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Soap actress Tracey Bregman also lost her Malibu home in the devastating blaze.

The Young and the Restless star posted the last photo of her home, engulfed in flames, to Instagram over the weekend.

"Thank God we are all safe. I have no other words. I'm just numb for us all," she wrote in the caption.

Robin Thicke's girlfriend April Love Geary posted a heartbreaking photo of their destroyed Malibu mansion.

Fire retardant is dropped on a burning hillside in Malibu. Photo / AP
Fire retardant is dropped on a burning hillside in Malibu. Photo / AP

The 23-year-old model took to her Instagram Story to share a snap of what remained, writing: "This is a picture I received of my house. While material objects are replaceable, the memories shared in this house aren't."

Camille Grammer Meyer managed to salvage some of her most precious belongings, including her dog Joey, from her US$3.282m Paradise View Estates mansion at the weekend just hours before it was destroyed in the Woolsey Fire.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I went to my safe and I grabbed jewellery, documents, birth certificates, and passports," the 50-year-old newlywed recalled to People.

"The bigger pieces of art we couldn't take, but we grabbed an Andrew Wyeth painting. I also took some photographs that meant something to me - my great-aunt who passed away a couple years ago. I took pictures of my family. We packed as much as we could into three cars."

Sophia Hutchins and Caitlyn Jenner are back in their Malibu home which escaped unscathed. Photo / Instagram
Sophia Hutchins and Caitlyn Jenner are back in their Malibu home which escaped unscathed. Photo / Instagram

Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson also lost his home in the blaze over the weekend.

"We lost our home, but we are all safe and that's the important thing," he tweeted, including some pictures of his scorched house.

"I'm not trying to be optimistic about losing literally everything - I'm just not materialistic by nature," he added in a separate tweet.

"To me it's just stuff. It's harder for my boys, losing items that have profound memory meaning. But this loss and whipsaw change will become a source of growth for all of us."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In Agoura Hills, the Woolsey Fire destroyed Paramount Ranch, the set of HBO's Westworld and many other western films and shows. HBO said that no cast or crew were at the Paramount Ranch location when it burned down.

Caitlyn Jenner's Malibu mansion just narrowly missed the blaze.

Just two days after evacuating their Malibu home when the Woolsey Fire got too close, Jenner and her partner Sophia Hutchins are back home.

Jenner, 69, and Hutchins, 22, took to Instagram with a new video, showing they're back home, safe and sound, with their dogs Baxter and Bertha.

While their Malibu home was unscathed, the hills behind their home were "scorched".

Rainn Wilson, who is currently overseas, said his animals had been rescued and his house was "barely spared" and that Woosley only missed it by a "dozen yards".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Director Guillermo del Toro also found out his beloved Bleak House, which holds his collection of more than 700 pieces of fantasy and horror memorabilia, is still standing as well.

The Kardashian clan, Simon Cowell, Will Smith and Martin Sheen were also among those who had to evacuate as Woolsey tore through the star-studded Malibu, Hidden Hills, and Calabasas areas.

Lady Gaga turned up at a Red Cross shelter at Pacific Palisades High School in Los Angeles on Sunday local time to support evacuees of the devastating Woolsey fire. She has since confirmed that her house was left unscathed by the fire.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's US$60m Hidden Hills mansion also escaped the blaze after they paid for private firefighters.

The couple hired a private team to fight back the flames that were inching closer and closer to their home. They are now being credited with helping save the whole neighborhood by funding the private team.

Kim and Kanye's mansion sits at the end of a cul-de sac that borders a field.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

If their residence had been torched, it would have started a domino effect that could have levelled dozens of surrounding homes in the neighbourhood.

The couple's private firefighting team dug a number of ditches to create a fire break and help stave off the blaze.

Neighbours said they were thankful the couple had funded the private team and brought in firefighters to save their homes.

Meanwhile, several iconic Hollywood sites have been reported as damaged in the blaze.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the set for M*A*S*H, the Peter Strauss, Reagan and Paramount Ranches have all been affected.

"This is an incredible loss that we haven't even begun to put our head around yet," historian Cari Beauchamp told the magazine.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Peter Strauss ranch was popular for concerts in the 50s where the likes of Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson performed. It was apparently burnt to a crisp by the Woolsey blaze while the 3000 acre Paramount Ranch that appeared in Westworld was damaged.

The Reagan ranch was also affected but no longer houses belongings of the late President.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

'Most horrific attacks': Russian strikes on Kyiv kill 14, injure dozens

17 Jun 08:03 AM
World

'No sense': Defence challenges motive in mushroom poisoning case

17 Jun 07:34 AM
World

'Everyone evacuate': Trump's warning amid G7 Middle East talks

17 Jun 07:15 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

'Most horrific attacks': Russian strikes on Kyiv kill 14, injure dozens

'Most horrific attacks': Russian strikes on Kyiv kill 14, injure dozens

17 Jun 08:03 AM

Twenty-seven locations in Kyiv were hit, including residential buildings.

'No sense': Defence challenges motive in mushroom poisoning case

'No sense': Defence challenges motive in mushroom poisoning case

17 Jun 07:34 AM
'Everyone evacuate': Trump's warning amid G7 Middle East talks

'Everyone evacuate': Trump's warning amid G7 Middle East talks

17 Jun 07:15 AM
Body in bushland confirmed as missing teen Pheobe Bishop

Body in bushland confirmed as missing teen Pheobe Bishop

17 Jun 04:47 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP