The Pacific Palisades wildfires can be particularly challenging for individuals like Miley Cyrus, who has previously experienced property loss in similar natural disasters.
Expressing her emotions, Cyrus shared a heartbreaking message on social media, along with a photo of her front porch taken in 2018 after losing her house in the Woolsey fires. She described the devastation of approaching what was once a familiar and welcoming entryway, now reduced to ash and rubble.
Cyrus empathized with those currently facing similar devastation, stating her deep sorrow for those experiencing the destruction firsthand. She lamented the contrast between the usual portrayal of Los Angeles as a place of dreams and the stark reality of wreckage and loss.
The Grammy winner also shared a link to the Malibu Foundation, a nonprofit that helps victims rebuild after wildfires, and a handful of other GoFundMe campaigns for specific victims.
“Time, resources and dedication from inside and outside of our community will heal us, but it hurts deeply for now,” Cyrus concluded her Saturday note.
A string of wildfires broke out in Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 7, rapidly devastating thousands of acres of property across surrounding neighborhoods. Many celebrities and other residents have lost their homes to the blaze. Others, meanwhile, left the city limits following mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders.
It is not publicly known whether Cyrus’ current residence was affected by the ongoing natural disaster, but one of her previous houses was burnt to the ground in a 2018 fire. At the time, Cyrus was married to actor Liam Hemsworth. (Cyrus and Hemsworth, 34, split in 2019, finalizing their divorce the next year.)
“It’s been a heartbreaking few days. This is what’s left of my house. Love,” Hemsworth wrote via Instagram in November 2018, sharing an image of their front porch and a “Love” sign. “Many people in Malibu and surrounding areas in California have lost their homes also and my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by these fires.”
He continued at the time, “Malibu is a strong community and this event is only going to make it stronger. Thankful for all the great local guys [who] helped keep smaller fires out around my property. I love u guys. I love you, Malibu. Thank you to all the hero firefighters around California.”
Cyrus and Hemsworth had evacuated with their menagerie of pets.
“My brother Luke called and said, ‘Get ready, they’re going to issue an evacuation.’ The whole time that I was packing up these animals, I had moments where I’m like, ‘It’s not going to get this far; this is a waste of time, and my house isn’t going to burn down,’” Hemsworth recalled to Men’s Health in a 2020 profile. “And, of course, it did burn down, and it was a s—-y thing to live through.”
While the then-couple and their animals were all safe, he added to the outlet that “pretty much everything” left in the house was “replaceable to a point.”
Three years later, Cyrus appeared to reference their relationship and the fire in her Grammy-winning 2023 single, “Flowers.”
“We were right ’til we weren’t / Built a home and watched it burn,” she sings in the opening stanza. “Mm, I didn’t wanna leave you / I didn’t wanna lie / Started to cry, but then remembered / I can buy myself flowers.”
Cyrus and Hemsworth have since moved on with Maxx Morando and Gabriella Brooks, respectively.
Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.
