Ben Affleck got an unwelcome surprise when he returned home Tuesday to the sight of a massive wildfire engulfing part of the west side of Los Angeles.
The 52-year-old A-lister was pictured driving to the bachelor apartment he has been renting in Los Angeles’ tony Pacific Palisades neighborhood since his split from Jennifer Lopez.
He appeared to have a shocked expression on his face as he curled up with his window rolled down, despite the poor air quality caused by the nearby forest fire.
The fire not only destroyed several homes in the upmarket neighborhood, but also led to the cancellation of several Hollywood premieres, including the event for his ex Jennifer’s latest film Unstoppable.
Ben is the producer of the film – along with his best friend Matt Damon – but it is unclear whether he planned to attend the premiere, as he has largely attended the publicity events for the inspirational sports drama to keep the focus on Jennifer’s work . screen.
Ben was dressed for the evening in a navy blue suit and white shirt, although he left it loose and without a tie.
Ben Affleck, 52, returned to his home in the Pacific Palisades on Tuesday evening, only to find that the fast-moving wildfire was in sight nearby
It’s unclear how far the fire could spread overnight, but the homes of some of the area’s stars have already been destroyed, and many more live in the affected area.
Ben’s western Pacific Palisades neighborhood is home to a bevy of stars, including Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks, Miles Teller, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler and Jhene Aiko, among others.
Actor James Woods shared images of the fire on Instagram on Tuesday as he announced he was evacuating.
The wildfire has already engulfed more than 1,200 hectares in the area, which is sparsely populated with huge celebrity estates surrounded by vegetation-covered hills, leaving plenty of fuel for the fire, unlike the denser neighborhoods further inland.
The Armageddon star has only lived in the area for a short time after buying a house nearby for $20.5 million following his divorce from Jennifer Lopez.
While it’s far from the lavish retreat he and his ex had lived in together in Beverly Hills, it’s far from small at 6,000 square feet and five bedrooms and six bathrooms.
Before that, he lived in the massive, 38,000-square-foot Georgian mansion that he and Lopez bought for $60 million.
It features 12 bedrooms and 24 bathrooms and has plenty of amenities, including a 12-car garage and an elevator, but so far the couple hasn’t found a buyer after putting it on the market for $68 million.
The actor looked shocked as he sat in his car. He was dressed in a navy blue suit and white shirt as he returned home from his office
The fire led to the cancellation of several film premieres, including one for his ex Jennifer Affleck’s film Unstoppable, which he produced; seen together in February 2024 in Hollywood
It is unclear if Ben planned to attend the premiere, as he skipped most of the publicity events to keep the focus on Lopez, the film’s star; Lopez is depicted in Unstoppable
After splitting from Jennifer – but before she made her divorce filing public – Ben was seen living in a rental home in Brentwood, not far from his current home, keeping him in the same neighborhood as his ex-wife Jennifer Garner. and his children live.
Stars across Hollywood reacted with shock and concern on social media as the fires spread thanks to winds that sometimes exceeded 100 mph (160 km/h) whipped through Los Angeles.
“Please send prayers and strength tonight to everyone in Los Angeles affected by these devastating fires. Los Angeles is in a state of emergency and more than 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate,” Chris Pratt wrote on social media with a photo of a firefighter battling the blaze.
The Hills star Spencer Pratt was one of the unfortunate people whose home was engulfed by the fast-moving bushfires.
He watched the fire approach his Pacific Palisades home from a nearby hill and captured video earlier in the day of a plane dropping water on a nearby hill, but he and his wife Heidi Montag were later forced to evacuate with their two young boys. before their house was burned to the ground.
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that the Getty Villa, a museum designed in the image of an ancient Roman villa, was threatened by the forest fire.
Some of the vegetation on the museum grounds had burned, but the campus buildings were reportedly still safe and the artworks and sculptures had been sealed to prevent smoke damage.
Katherine E. Fleming, the president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, boasted in a statement that the Getty Villa had made “extensive efforts to clean up the surrounding area as part of its year-round firefighting efforts.”
The entire city was hit by high winds of more than 100 miles per hour in some areas, resulting in wildfires that raged through 3,000 acres of the Pacific Palisades and forced thousands to evacuate (photo Tuesday)
Numerous celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Chris Pratt and Reese Witherspoon, live in the evacuation zone. The Hills star Spencer Pratt filmed a plane dropping water on a nearby hill before the fire later destroyed the home he shares with Heidi Montag and their two boys
Eugene Levy, 78, was among the Pacific Palisades residents caught in the standoff as residents fled the upscale area amid a fast-moving wildfire in the LA hills, exacerbated by a fierce storm; Pictured in January 2019 in LA
“Some trees and vegetation on the site have been burned, but staff and the collection have remained safe,” she said.
Dry and extremely windy conditions allowed a second fire to break out in Altadena, further east, forcing residents in nearby Pasadena to evacuate.
As Westside residents scrambled to escape at the last minute, scores of people got stuck in massive traffic jams, including Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy.
Many drivers ended up abandoning their cars on the streets and continuing on foot, and firefighters were forced to bulldoze lines of cars to enter the affected areas.