Paradise Lost? Malibu Picks Up the Pieces
The rich and famous are powerless against devastating wildfires.
Oct. 25, 2007 — -- The celebrity life may not be much to envy as the smoke begins to clear from the wildfires that have ravaged Southern California this week.
As dawn broke Monday, fierce flames forced the evacuation of several hundred residents of the scenic seaside town of Malibu, including many well-known entertainers.
The popular coastal enclave is home to many celebrities, entertainment industry moguls and at least 12 billionaires, some of whom were forced to flee from their homes.
"I don't even want to consider what I would lose," said actress and ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Jane Seymour.
She told "Access Hollywood" that her husband defied evacuation orders this week. He remained in Malibu to defend their home, which she described as filled with family treasures and memorabilia from her career.
Kelsey Grammar, Sally Field, Olivia Newton John and Mel Gibson were among the celebrities who followed the advice of firefighters and left their homes.
When the smoke and ash cleared, six residences, a church, a glass business and a faux castle were destroyed.
Actor Sean Penn reportedly lost not one, but two homes perched on land at the top of Carbon Canyon Road, close to actor David Duchovny's house.
According to newspusher.com of AKA Media, Penn lost his first home on the exclusive hillside property in the big 1993 Topanga Malibu fire that destroyed 300 homes.
Hoping to avoid another devastating loss, the French entertainment news service says Penn did not rebuild a house, but instead placed two vintage trailer homes on the land. Both were burned in this week's wildfire.
In January, actress Suzanne Somers' beachfront home burned to the ground despite efforts by firefighters and actor (and neighbor) John Cusack. Somers vowed to rebuild.
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