How California wildfires are impacting entertainment, tourism industries

Thursday, January 9, 2025 11:41PM ET
The Southern California wildfires are impacting millions of people in the Los Angeles area, as well as their tourism and entertainment industries.

Many celebrities have lost their homes, including Billy Crystal, Eugene Levy, John Goodman and Paris Hilton.

Hilton posted on Instagram, saying she was watching our sister station KABC in Los Angeles, when she spotted her Malibu home burning down on live TV.

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"This home was where we built so many precious memories. It's where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London," Hilton wrote in an Instagram post.



Hilton went on to send prayers to everyone else impacted by the fires.

"I'm shocked as someone who's been in Los Angeles over two decades...You have to remember that we're a huge industry tourism as well as Hollywood, and that includes all the support industries, people who run restaurants, people who work on crews, on set and location," said pop culture expert and San Fernando Valley resident Kristyn Burtt.

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Her home is sandwiched between the Palisades and Woodley fires.

The Woodley Fire is now out.



She says with one of the fires burning in the heart of Hollywood, the impact goes beyond Los Angeles

"The Hollywood Bowl is there. That's an 18,000-seat venue outdoor venue. You also have the Dolby Theater where the Oscars are held, that is, at the other side of where the fire is," explains Burtt.

The Oscars already postponed the voting process as well as the nominations announcement.

Burtt also points out that so many celebrities are now stepping up to help their neighbors.

"Other celebrities are just doing simple things like signal boosting different resources or offering places to donate, where you can take your pets. And all of these things really do help," said Burtt.



Paris Hilton says her team is now working to help others devastated by the fires.

On Thursday, actress Jamie Lee Curtis pledged to donate $1 million to help relief efforts.
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