• Wildfires have broken out in Los Angeles and are raging through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
• Stars including Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal have lost their homes.
• The average house price in the northern LA area is $4.5 million, per Realtor.com data.

The biggest of the raging wildfires in Los Angeles is tearing through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Stars including Paris Hilton and Billy Crystal have lost their homes.

The area, located between Santa Monica and Malibu in northern Los Angeles, is home to some of the country's most expensive real estate. The average house price is $4.5 million, according to Realtor.com data. Ben Affleck, for instance, bought his $20.5 million mansion there in July.

Other celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Keaton, Adam Sandler, Miles Teller, and Eugene Levy, also live in the neighborhood.

The fire started on Tuesday in the Pacific Palisades before spreading west toward the Malibu stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. On Wednesday, the city of Malibu issued a statement on X advising residents to prepare to evacuate.

Paris Hilton said she 'built precious memories' at her destroyed Malibu home

On Wednesday, Paris Hilton shared on Instagram that she was "heartbroken beyond words" to learn that her Malibu home had been destroyed in the fire.

"Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience," Hilton wrote. "This home was where we built so many precious memories."

Although the loss felt "overwhelming," she said she was grateful that her family and pets were safe.

Billy Crystal's home, where he'd been living with his family for 46 years, was razed to the ground.

"We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can't be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this," Crystal said in a statement to People.

"The Pacific Palisades is a resilient community of amazing people and we know in time it will rise again. It is our home," he said.

The Oscar-nominated actor James Woods wrote on X Wednesday: "All the smoke detectors are going off in our house and transmitting to our iPhones. I couldn't believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one."

"The Hills" stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt also lost their home.

"I'm so sad our house is gone. I wish I could have gone back and got more," Montag said as she broke down crying in a video she posted on TikTok on Wednesday.

TMZ meanwhile published footage of Adam Brody and Leighton Meester's home in flames, as well as a photo of Anna Faris' home in ashes.

The songwriter Diane Warren, a 15-time Oscar nominee who has worked with stars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, shared on Instagram that her beach house of nearly 30 years was likely gone.

"It looks like it was lost in the fire last nite. There's a rainbow shining on it which I'm taking as a sign of hope for all creatures who have been affected by this tragedy," Warren wrote. "The animals and the rescue ranch are OK tho which is the most important thing. Stay safe everyone."

On Wednesday, "The Princess Bride" actor Cary Elwes wrote on Instagram that he and his family evacuated the area safely, but said their house was destroyed.

He wrote: "Sadly we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire. Our hearts go out to all the families impacted by this tragic event and we also wish to extend our gratitude to all the fire fighters, first responders and law enforcement who worked so tirelessly through the night and are still at it."

Ricki Lake, the star of the original "Hairspray" movie and her self-titled talkshow, wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday that her "dream home" overlooking Malibu was "gone."

In the caption Lake said she and her husband escaped from the house with Dolly, their dog, "and not much else."

Mark Hamill evacuated his home and described the fire as 'horrific'

Among the at least 130,000 LA residents asked to evacuate their homes was the "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill. He said on Instagram that he had left his Malibu home on Tuesday with his wife, Marilou, and their dog, Trixie. He described it as the "most horrific fire since '93."

"Evacuated Malibu so last-minute there were small fires on both sides of the road as we approached PCH," he wrote.

Levy told The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that he got stuck while trying to leave his neighborhood. "The smoke looked pretty black and intense over Temescal Canyon," Levy said. "I couldn't see any flames but the smoke was very dark."

Chet Hanks, the son of actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, wrote in an Instagram story on Tuesday: "The neighborhood I grew up in is burning to the ground rn. Pray for the Palisades."

Actor and singer Mandy Moore said in an Instagram story posted on Tuesday that she was among the residents ordered to evacuate. By Wednesday, the singer said in a follow-up story that she was unsure if her home "made it."

"Honestly, I'm in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family," she wrote in an Instagram post. "My children's school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too."

Jamie Lee Curtis said 'many' friends had lost their homes

On Wednesday night, "Halloween" actor Jamie Lee Curtis appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and said, holding back tears: "Where I live is on fire right now."

She added: "It's just a catastrophe in Southern California. Obviously, there have been horrific fires in many places. This is literally where I live. Everything — the market I shop in, the schools my kids go to, friends.

"Many, many, many, many, many friends now have lost their homes."

Kate Beckinsale wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday that "the whole of the Palisades being destroyed is unthinkably horrific.

"My daughter and I lived there for most of her childhood and most of her childhood is gone."

The "Serendipity" actor shared several other posts, including one thanking local firefighters and another sharing information about assembling an emergency bag.

Industry events in Hollywood have been cancelled

The Palisades Charter High School was also affected, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The campus was used for films including "Carrie," "Freaky Friday," "Project X," and MTV's "Teen Wolf" TV series.

The premieres for "Wolf Man" and "Unstoppable," scheduled for Tuesday, were canceled.

'It's fire year'

The fire that started on Tuesday spread quickly thanks to the Santa Ana winds, which created up to 100 mph gusts. The drought in Southern California also exacerbated the situation, creating dangerously dry conditions.

Wildfires in the western US have been steadily growing bigger and more severe for decades, while the time of heightened risk known as "fire season" has been getting longer each year.

A paper published in 2023 by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, found the human-caused climate crisis is the "major driver" for the state's increase in wildfires over the last quarter century.

"November, December, now January — there's no fire season, it's fire year. It's year-round," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Back in 2018, the Woolsey Fire burned almost 100,000 acres of land in California, affecting famous Malibu residents like Lady Gaga, Gerard Butler, Miley Cyrus, and several members of the Kardashian family.

Kim Kardashian and her then-husband Kanye West were widely criticized for hiring private firefighters to protect their $60 million home in Hidden Hills.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.