Jessica Simpson evacuates Hidden Hills mansion as smoke fills her backyard: ‘We stayed as long as we could’

Jessica Simpson has fled her $22 million Southern California home, formerly owned by Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, after a wildfire broke out in West Hills.

On Thursday night, the singer-turned-fashion mogul shared an ominous photo of her backyard, which was filled with thick clouds of smoke.

“We stayed as long as we could,” the singer wrote in an update on her Instagram Story.

She and her husband, former football pro Eric Johnson, share three children: Maxwell “Maxi” Drew, 12, Ace Knute, 11, and Birdie Mae, 5.

The family is among nearly 180,000 evacuees forced to leave their homes as at least five fires continue to burn unchecked.

The natural disaster displaced residents from the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Hollywood and more areas in Southern California.

The West Hills wildfire, which prompted mass evacuations in Calabasas, is being investigated as an arson incident, with one suspect arrested.

The Kenneth fire is currently rapidly sweeping through the West Hills, pulling 900 exhausted first responders from other high-priority fires in Southern California to protect homes and try to contain the flames.

On Thursday, LAPD Senior Chief Officer Charles Dinsel told NewsNation that a suspect is in custody and is suspected of deliberately starting the fire.

“Approximately 20 to 30 minutes later, a suspect was apprehended by civilians in the Woodland Hills area,” he said. “It’s being investigated as a crime.”

Dinsel was asked directly if he believed the fire was deliberately set, and he said, “At this point we believe that. Yes.’

He said there was no clear motive and added that the area was now being ‘closed’ for further investigation.

As three intense fires rage out of control, authorities are slowly beginning to uncover the widespread destruction beneath the flames, with the death toll rising to seven on Thursday evening and reports that at least 10,000 structures have been swept away.

Sources told DailyMail.com that a resident called 911 around 4:30 p.m. to report a man was trying to start a fire on the 21700 block of Ybarra Road.

The suspect was arrested and taken to Topanga station.

“We cannot confirm any connection to a fire at this time,” LAPD Drake Madison said.

The arrest confirms Hollywood stars’ worst fears that their homes are being targeted.

Happy Days star Henry Winkler, 79, wrote on social media: ‘THERE IS an arsonist here in LA. May you be beaten beyond recognition!!! The pain you caused!!!’

Actress Alison Sweeney responded: “Agreed.”

Singer Chris Brown also had his suspicions and wrote: ‘Someone started these fires. It’s not right.’

TV personality Elizabeth Chambers also joined in, telling her fans that “it feels like this is a lot more than just nature.”

After confirming that a suspected arsonist had been arrested, Winkler updated his original post to add: “One in custody so far.”

An LA Fire Department official initially denied the claim, saying, “There is no way at this time to know exactly where or how the series of fires started, but an investigation is underway.”

Heroic first responders were alerted to the latest blaze in the Los Angeles-Ventura County border, which quickly spread through the West Hills and entered homes in nearby Calabasas and Hidden Hills.

Officials issued a chilling warning Thursday evening urging residents not to ignore evacuation orders, with Sen. Adam Schiff bluntly declaring, “If you stay, you’re going to die.”

“If you get an evacuation order, leave,” he said. ‘You may think you can outrun a fire, but you can’t outrun these fires. If you stay, you will die in it.”

The fast-moving Kenneth Fire already covers 960 acres and threatens the Malibu Canyon area north of the 101 Freeway near Calabasas, home to Kourtney Kardashian and Will Smith. Kim and Khloe Kardashian live in nearby Hidden Hills.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued as firefighters dropped water bombs from the sky in an attempt to contain the blaze, which is being fanned by strong Santa Ana winds.

The road out of Calabasas quickly became gridlocked with bumper-to-bumper traffic as locals heeded warnings and fled their homes.

Residents across Southern California have been warned for days to have bags full of important documents and belongings packed and ready in case of an emergency.

At 3:45 p.m. the fire was reported to be 50 hectares, but had exploded to 791 hectares by 4:45 p.m. By 6 p.m. it covered 960 hectares.

Later on Thursday, mandatory evacuation orders related to the Kenneth fire were reduced to evacuation warnings as authorities managed to halt further progress.

The combined death toll for all fires has risen to seven, but officials have warned this is likely to continue rising as dogs trained to detect human remains gain access to the charred remains of properties in fire-ravaged neighborhoods.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna urged “patience” with the official death counts.

“Right now, we honestly don’t know,” he said. ‘I think the death toll will rise. I hope I’m wrong.’

Across Los Angeles, about 180,000 people have been issued mandatory evacuation orders, while another 200,000 have been put on alert and warned to consider fleeing their homes.

Los Angeles County officials say an evacuation order alert was mistakenly issued Thursday afternoon for residents near the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills.

The warning was only intended for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills.

The damage from the two largest fires – the Pacific Palisades fire and the Eaton inferno – is enormous. Up to 10,000 structures have been wiped out, officials say.

David Acuna, a spokesman for Cal Fire, issued a chilling new warning to Californians as they look ahead to the future and consider rebuilding their lives.

“There really isn’t a fire season, it’s a fire year,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I’ve never seen it this bad.”

Similarly, Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said, “The level of destruction is staggering.”

Neither of the two major fires has been brought under control in any way.

Eaton now covers 13,690 acres, while the larger Palisades fire extends to more than 17,200 acres.

The high fire risk will continue through Friday, National Weather Service Los Angeles meteorologists said in a social media post Thursday afternoon.

Winds in Santa Ana will be moderate to strong Thursday evening, focusing the fire threat in the area on Los Angeles and Ventura County through Friday morning.

“However, the threat will not end after Friday,” the post said. Offshore winds will continue early next week, with peaks on Sunday and Tuesday through Wednesday.

The systemic failures in the deep blue city have led many to wonder how this got out of hand — and led many to call for the resignation of Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom.

Bass is under pressure to resign over the ongoing wildfire crisis, with revelations that heroic firefighters struggled to access enough water to battle the infernos and that fire hydrants were empty.

She cut the L.A. Fire Department’s budget by $17.6 million in 2024 after backing down from $23 million in cuts, and officials ignored warnings about the threat of fire.

President Joe Biden later said the trouble was self-inflicted to prevent further fanning the flames.

“What I know from conversations with the governor is that there are concerns that there is also a water shortage,” he said during a news conference Thursday.

“The fact is that the utilities, understandably, shut off power because they were afraid the lines carrying energy would blow up and cause more fires.

“When it did that, it shut off the ability to pump the water, which is what’s causing the lack of water in these hydrants.”