Milo Ventimiglia and Pregnant Wife Lose Malibu Home in Wildfires: “Your Heart Just Breaks”
Milo Ventimiglia shared that he and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, have lost their Malibu home in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
The actor, most known for roles in This Is Us and Gilmore Girls, told CBS News his house burned down after the Palisades Fire swept through their neighborhood. His family evacuated Tuesday and watched on security cameras as the flames took over their home.
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“I think there’s a kind of shock moment where you’re going, ‘Oh, this is real and this is happening,’ and then at a certain point, we just turn it off,” he said. “It’s like, what good is it to continue watching, you know. We kind of accepted the loss.”
Mariano and Ventimiglia are also expecting their first child any day now, and the actor said they had the nursery all ready to go for their baby, making the devastation even harder to grasp.
Trying to hold back tears, Ventimiglia said it’s “heavy” returning to his home to see all the destruction, adding, “You start thinking about all the memories in different parts of the house and whatnot, and then you see your neighbors’ houses and everything kind of around, and your heart just breaks.”
However, he told CBS News, “We’ll make do” as his “wife and baby and dog are most important.”
The actor also acknowledged “life imitating art” as his character Jack Pearson in This Is Us — spoiler alert! — saved his loved ones from their family’s house fire. But his character ultimately died from smoke inhalation.
Ventimiglia’s This Is Us co-star Mandy Moore also shared on Wednesday that she tragically lost her home in Altadena, California, due to the Eaton Fire. “This is Altadena. Leveled. My sweet home,” she wrote on Instagram. “I am devastated and gutted for those of us who’ve lost so much. I’m absolutely numb.”
On Thursday, Moore returned to her neighborhood and walked up the street to witness “all the loss.” She added in her post, “Miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing. For now. It’s not livable but mostly intact,” she said, sharing photos of what remains of her family home. “Everyone we know lost everything. Every house on our street is gone. My in laws. My brother and sister in law — 6 weeks from welcoming their first baby. Our best friends. Feeling weird survivors guilt. We love this community and will do everything we can to help rebuild and support.”
Other Hollywood stars who have also confirmed that they lost their homes in the L.A. wildfires included Jeff Bridges, Billy Crystal, Anna Faris, Cary Elwes, Paris Hilton, Bozoma Saint John, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, Diane Warren, Cameron Mathison and Ricki Lake, among others. James Woods initially indicated he lost his home in the fires but later discovered it was “still standing,” saying “a miracle has happened.”
The wildfire initially broke out Tuesday in Pacific Palisades, before spreading to parts of Malibu and Santa Monica overnight. As of Thursday evening, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Palisades Fire was 6 percent contained. Two other active wildfires in the L.A. area — the Eaton and Woodley fires — are also at zero percent containment. The Lidia fire is 40 percent contained, and the Hurst fire is 10 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Another fire, named the Sunset Fire, broke out Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills, endangering iconic landmark the Hollywood Bowl, among other tourist destinations. By Thursday morning, firefighters were able to contain the blaze and all evacuation orders were lifted.
On Thursday afternoon, first responders were responding to another fire, named the Kenneth Fire, that erupted in West Hills, California, close to homes in the Calabasas and Hidden Hills areas. As of 5 p.m., the fire had consumed nearly 800 acres of brush, fanned by gusty Santa Ana winds.
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