Milo Ventimiglia has emotionally opened up about seeing the remains of his Malibu home, which burned to the ground in the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles.
The Gilmore Girls alum was one of many celebrities who lost their homes due to the raging wildfires in Southern California.
Over 179,000 residents are under evacuation orders and Los Angeles County’s Medical Examiner has reported 10 fatalities, per The Guardian.
According to PEOPLE, the devastating fires began on Tuesday (January 7), with the Pacific Palisades Fire, which quickly spread through the seaside community. The destruction continued to escalate with the ignition of the Eaton Fire around 6:30PM on that same day and then the Woodley Fire on the following morning.
The Hurst Fire, burning approximately 500 acres, also sparked on Tuesday evening and continued to burn throughout the night. Meanwhile, the Tyler Fire, located near the music festival Coachella, was 50% contained.
However, the situation took a more concerning turn on Thursday with the emergence of the Kenneth Fire, which is currently under investigation as a suspected act of arson, FOX 11 reported.
The 47-year-old actor lived in Malibu with his heavily pregnant wife Jarah Mariano, who he secretly married in 2023.
He appeared on CBS Evening News on Thursday to open up about his heartbreak after he and his wife’s home burned down by the Palisades fire.
“I think there’s a kind of shock moment where you going, ‘Oh, this is real. This is happening,’” he said about watching the footage of their property burn down. “Then, at a certain point, we just turn it off. It’s like, ‘What? What good is it to continue watching?’ We kind of accepted the loss.”
Ventimiglia continued: “You start thinking about all the memories in the different parts of the house and whatnot. Then you see your neighbors’ houses and everything around, and your heart just breaks.”
The Hollywood star fought back tears as he said: “Man, it hits you so quick.”
Watch the interview below:Ventimiglia shared that “everything was set up” for the imminent birth of their first child, telling the outlet they’ll lean on “good friends” to help them.
“We’ve got good friends, and we’ve got good people we’re working with,” he continued. “We’ll make do. Wife and baby and dog are most important.”
The actor, also known for his role as Jack Pearson in This Is Us, commented on the parallel between his real-life experience and his character’s fate. In the TV series, Jack tragically dies of smoke inhalation after the Pearson family home burns down.
“It’s not lost on me, life imitating art,” Ventimiglia said of the stark similarities.
Firefighters are still battling to control the blazes that are causing widespread devastation in Los Angeles.
The causes of all of the wildfires are under investigation. California fire chief David Acuna has shared that the number of structures demolished by wildfires in recent days has caused “significant shock,” per Sky News.
While acknowledging the absence of “hard data,” he estimated that the wildfires likely resulted in the destruction of more than 10,000 structures.
“It is unusual to have such a densely populated area with such a large fire roll through that,” he said, adding that winds in the following days could lead to further devastation.
The fires have obliterated several homes and businesses, as well as significant landmarks like The Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center and the Palisades Theatre.
Our thoughts continue to be with everyone affected by this.
