Despite the devastating wildfires that hit Los Angeles, actor Tom Hanks’ $26 million home escaped major damage.
Hanks, 68, lives in the Pacific Palisades area, which was hit hard by the Palisades fire, according to the New York Post.
The “Cast Away” actor’s cliff-top mansion appears to have escaped unscathed, according to aerial photos taken Wednesday and obtained by the Post. But the house directly above Hanks’ property wasn’t so lucky.
Hanks’ home, totaling more than 4,500 square feet, was reportedly set back from a neighbor’s property to avoid a fire.
On Tuesday, the couple’s son, Chet Hanks, 34, expressed sadness at the destruction of the area. “The area I grew up in is now burning down,” Chet wrote on his Instagram Story.
The Oscar-winning Forrest Gump actor lives at home with his wife, actress and singer Rita Wilson.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the death toll from the wildfires that hit the area has increased to 16.
The total number of confirmed deaths is 16, and the incident is still under investigation. The coroner’s office said in a statement Saturday evening that five of the deaths were caused by the Palisades fire and 11 were caused by the Eaton fire.
New evacuations are underway as firefighters scramble to stop the wildfire from spreading before strong winds pick up again that could push the flames into the world-famous J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles. The advisory put even more homeowners in jeopardy.
The fire has burned more than 12,000 buildings since it first broke out Tuesday just north of downtown Los Angeles, a term that includes homes, apartments, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles.
The cause of the largest fire has not been determined, and early estimates indicate it could be the costliest in the nation’s history. AccuWeather’s preliminary estimates put the damage and economic losses to date at between $135 billion and $150 billion.
