‘All Gone’: Actor James Woods breaks down in tears recounting destruction of home in California fire

At least five are dead and thousands of structures are in ruin as several wildfires burn through Southern California

James Woods broke down in tears while telling CNN his Pacific Palisades home burned down, and his wife’s niece offered him the money in her piggy bank to rebuild (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for WGA)

Actor James Woods cried Wednesday while recounting the destruction of his home by the deadly California wildfires raging through the Los Angeles area.

Woods, 77, told CNN he lost his home in California’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood as devastating wildfires ripped through the region. Woods said his wife’s 8-year-old niece offered up her piggy bank to help rebuild their home.

“One day you’re swimming in the pool and the next day it’s all gone,” Woods said as tears came to his eyes.

“She came out with her little Yeti piggy bank, for us to rebuild our house,” he said, crying, of the little girl’s sweet offer.

Several fires are raging through southern California this week, killing at least five people and injuring countless others, including a 25-year-old firefighter, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott.

The Eaton fire burned through close to 11,000 acres. Meanwhile, the nearby Pacific Palisades fire scorched nearly 15,000 acres by Wednesday evening and destroyed more than 1,000 structures, making it the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history.

More than 150,000 are under evacuation orders or warnings and hundreds of thousands were without power Wednesday evening.

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire on Wednesday in Los Angeles, California. Woods’s home is one of many that has been lost in the blaze (Getty Images)

Woods, known for his roles in Once Upon a Time in America and Vampires, has also lamented the loss of his home on social media.

“All the smoke detectors are going off in our house and transmitting to our iPhones,” he wrote on X. “I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one.”

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

“We renovated a home after Covid and just finished last month,” he wrote in another post. “To all the lovely people offering care and love, I’ll say this. There is no possession as priceless as friends and good neighbors during a tragedy. I can’t believe the blessings we enjoy, and I am humbly grateful.”

Dangerous wind conditions were not expected to let up until the end of the week. California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency, and the state’s National Guard was working to aid firefighters.

“This is not a normal Red Flag,” Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, told residents.