Wildfires ravage Los Angeles: Jennifer Garner's personal loss
The number of fatalities among residents of several districts in Los Angeles, which fires have ravaged for a week, is increasing.
Now Jennifer Garner has revealed that she lost a friend in the fire that destroyed Pacific Palisades, a wealthy neighbourhood in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, last week.
During an interview with MSNBC's Katy Tur, the actress confessed: "I lost a friend. She didn't manage to get out in time," she said, tears in her eyes. "My heart bleeds when I think about my friends."
Garner described the devastated area of Fiske Street, reminiscing: "My best friend lived on that street. They had a gong in their yard. There were so many kids playing on the street, and they would strike the gong at the end of the day to call them home."
The actress admitted she almost feels guilty that her house survived. "What can I do? How can I help? What can I offer with these hands and the safety I have?" she pondered rhetorically.
Fires in Los Angeles
Garner lives in Brentwood, in a $7.9 million property she built following her divorce from Ben Affleck in 2018. After evacuating his $20.5 million house, she allowed her ex-husband to seek refuge with her. Fortunately, his house remained untouched, and he was able to return on Thursday.
On Friday, the actress helped chef José Andrés from World Central Kitchen feed the firefighters battling the blaze. "You can never go wrong by donating to World Central Kitchen," Garner encouraged.
The fire in Pacific Palisades broke out on Tuesday. Propelled by winds of 160 km/h, it consumed about 12,500 hectares of land, destroying over 5,000 homes, businesses, and other structures.
Among those who lost their homes are well-known individuals such as Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Anna Faris, Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Miles Teller, and Paris Hilton.
