‘Devastated’ Aussie Hollywood star Mel Gibson reveals the personal items he lost when his $14million Malibu mansion burned down in LA fires

Oscar-winning Australian director and actor Mel Gibson has reflected on what it felt like to learn he had lost almost everything when his $14.5 million mansion burned to the ground in the LA fires.

Gibson, 69, discovered his home was consumed by fire just before he sat down to record an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast on Friday and has since opened up to Fox host Laura Ingraham, where he offered a philosophical take on the tragedy.

“These are things and they may or may not be replaceable, but we’re still here and I just look at it in a strange way, like a purge,” he said. told Fox News.

After hearing that his house was about to be destroyed, the actor said he rushed back to the Malibu mansion with his son to grab whatever they could before it all turned to ash.

He said the pair escaped only with their passports and a few other important documents, while his artwork and books, some dating from the 16th century and priceless, were destroyed in the flames.

“It reminds me of the old cattle barons who drove people off the land. I don’t know…it just seemed kind of convenient that there was no water.”

“The wind conditions and the fact that there were people who were ready, willing and able to set fires. And are they instructed to do so or are they just acting of their own free will?’

At least 10 people were killed as catastrophic fires tore through Los Angeles for a fourth day in a row as police carried out a series of looting and arson.

More than 10,000 structures burned to the ground on Friday, scorching a total of 29,053 hectares of land in one of Los Angeles’ most horrific disasters to date.

There are growing questions, including from Gibson himself, about why LA and California officials failed to prepare for the disaster when they had ample warning of advancing winds.

Gibson said he knew his house was destroyed after being warned it was in the direct path of the fire, but it was still shocking to see the wreckage left behind.

“In general, everything has disappeared. When I went there yesterday, it looked like Dresden after Bomber Harris was done with it. There is nothing left,” he said.

“My son grabbed three things and ran, and they’re okay, things like passports and some papers….” [but] it’s tragic, it really makes you sad. I actually have neighbors and I looked at them and I felt worse for them than I did for myself.

‘I think of it as a strange mixture of sadness and almost a kind of elation in a way. I just count my blessings… it is what it is, I guess.”

Gibson was referring to February 1945, when British warplanes destroyed the German city of Dresden for five hours during a bombing campaign toward the end of World War II.

His home and many of the surrounding buildings were destroyed in the fire that destroyed more than 10,000 other buildings this week.

He had shown up for a three-hour conversation with Rogan when the fires engulfed his home, but Gibson said he didn’t mind as a podcaster.can put you quite at ease, so I was doing well and I knew my family was safe.”

Gibson also shared disturbing visions of fire and brimstone when he appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience.

The actor and filmmaker warned the controversial podcaster that society was headed toward a “collapse” while discussing the fires that have destroyed several neighborhoods around Greater Los Angeles and left other celebrities without a home.

Gibson told Rogan he didn’t even know yet if his home would survive the “inferno” that has engulfed parts of Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Altadena, Pasadena and the Hollywood Hills.

He also criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom for failing to “take care of the forest and maintain the forest,” even though the current fires all started in urban settings.

Gibson pulled no punches when he delivered a scathing rant about Newsom while chatting with the 57-year-old UFC commentator.

The actor said, “I think Newsom said, ‘I’m going to take care of the forest and maintain the forest and do all that stuff’ — he didn’t do anything.”

Rogan said he believes California’s governor had spent taxpayer money supporting the homeless population instead of fire prevention.

The Passion Of The Christ director agreed with the presenter before joking: “I think all our tax money probably went to Gavin’s hair gel.”

Apocalyptic fires swept through the upscale enclave of Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, quickly spreading to surrounding suburbs as a storm carried embers and debris in all directions.

Residents fled and then waited with bated breath to find out more about their homes, as news began to trickle out that entire streets had been wiped off the map, firefighters were running out of water, and resources were being used to put the blaze on fire. to fight on multiple fronts.

This came as Newsom searched for answers after being chased by a distraught Los Angeles mother demanding answers over the wildfires ravaging the city.

California’s governor apologized and claimed he was trying to reach the president on the phone when he was approached by the emotional woman on Thursday.

It happened as large parts of the city were still engulfed by flames that destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

Newsom was unable to provide a concrete answer about the recovery efforts during the grilling, which lasted nearly two, excruciating minutes.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sought to refute criticism Thursday that the fire hydrants were running empty, insisting that they were filled, but that they simply weren’t designed to handle a disaster of this magnitude.

Her comments came as fires continued to burn for a third straight day, with the Pacific Palisades fire becoming the most destructive in the county’s history.

Nearly 180,000 people are under evacuation orders, while hundreds of thousands remain without power.