Fires across Los Angeles forced 130,000 people to evacuate and claimed five lives, a fast-moving fire started in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday.
The Hollywood Bowl and the Hollywood Walk of Fame were both within a mile of the Sunset Fire. Dry, hurricane-force winds hampered firefighting efforts and fueled the spread of the fires, which have burnt hundreds of acres since they started Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of over 130,000 people.
The LA Fire Department ordered residents to evacuate from a wide region that is iconic to the entertainment business, including Mulholland Drive to the north and Hollywood Boulevard to the south, after the so-called Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills burned 50 acres on Wednesday.
The Oscars are held at the Dolby Theater, which is located within that region. According to organizers, the fire has already caused a two-day delay in the presentation of the Oscar nominations for next week.
Palisades Charter High School, which was featured in Carrie and the television series Teen Wolf, was among the more than six local schools that suffered damage or were completely destroyed.
Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, stated that air operations were putting out the fire. She cautioned that they were still dealing with “erratic winds,” but not as much as on Tuesday night when most of the damage happened and planes had to be grounded.
A large fire on the Pacific Coast west of Los Angeles destroyed several blocks, turning banks and food stores in the celebrity-favored Pacific Palisades into rubble.
Several celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Cary Elwes, and Mandy Moore, reported losing their properties on Wednesday.
