Australian actor Vernon Wells shared how a neighbor tried to save his Pacific Palisades home from destruction during the California wildfires.
The 79-year-old US-based man, who co-starred with Mel Gibson in Mad Max 2 more than 40 years ago, said his friend, a firefighter, had heroically stayed there after most of the neighborhood’s residents fled the flames
But the man’s efforts to save Vernon’s house and other neighboring homes failed because the fire was too powerful.
“He called us and he was crying,” a still-shaken Vernon said Friday during an appearance on Sunrise.
He continued, “And he said, ‘I’m so sorry to tell you. I tried so hard to save your house and it disappeared. “Everything disappeared.”
“He said, ‘The other five houses, including mine, also disappeared, and that was the beginning.’
Australian actor Vernon Wells shared how a neighbor tried to save his Pacific Palisades home from destruction during the California wildfires. Pictured: He appeared on Sunrise on Friday to talk about his ordeal.
The US-based actor said his friend, a firefighter, had heroically stayed there after most of the neighborhood’s residents fled the flames. Pictured: A view of the destruction in Pacific Palisades.
Elsewhere in the chat, Vernon told how his friend had been left waiting for the fire trucks to arrive to fight the fire.
While waiting for help to arrive, the brave neighbor had resorted to using a garden hose to wet houses, including Vernon’s, to try to protect them.
‘About 150 houses were built. So far, they say 10,000 houses have burned in the Pacific Palisades area,” Vernon added, heartbroken.
Vernon, known to Mad Max fans around the world as the villain Wez in 1981’s MM2, said he and his wife lost “everything” when their house was destroyed.
‘He had all the material from the awards he had won for acting, photographs from films. “I had something very important at our wedding,” she said.
‘We had all these things that we had accumulated during our time together and suddenly they’re not there anymore. Everything, I mean, everything.
‘We left with our clothes on, our dog, our turtle and a lost butterfly that couldn’t fly that my wife was feeding.’
Still, Vernon paid tribute to his community for the way they came together to support each other during the deadly fires that reportedly claimed seven lives.
Vernon, known to Mad Max fans around the world as the villain Wez in 1981’s MM2 (pictured), said he and his wife lost “everything” when their house was destroyed.
Much of the prosperous Pacific Pallisades neighborhood has been reduced to rubble.
The actor added: ‘Yes, we lost everything. But do you know what someone told me this morning? “Everything can be replaced in your mind.” You know you have it on your mind. It’s all there.’
It comes after Hollywood’s biggest celebrities are left picking up the pieces after discovering their Los Angeles neighborhood was reduced to ashes and rubble when fires ripped through Pacific Palisades.
More than 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes and another 100,000 have been placed on hold, as firefighters battle hellish conditions on the front lines of at least five different fires.
The fires reached the suburbs, including the affluent Pacific Pallisades neighborhood, where many celebrity homes were reduced to ashes and rubble.
The homes of big stars such as Anthony Hopkins, Tina Knowles, John Goodman, Candy Spelling and Miles Teller are among those destroyed, while dozens of other stars now face an anxious wait with their neighbors to find out if anything can be saved.
But several stars have been able to keep their properties safe thanks to pure chance and the help of brave firefighters.
One of the luckiest Hollywood stars is Kate Hudson, who has two houses in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
The two mega properties are next to each other and are luxurious with two floors, generous balconies, lush gardens and swimming pools.
Other stars who have had their homes saved include Tom Hanks, Rebel Wilson, Tom Brady, Chris Pratt, Dan Aykroyd, Steven Spielberg and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Apocalyptic fires tore through the luxurious enclave of Pacific Palisades on Tuesday and quickly spread to surrounding suburbs as a windstorm blew embers and debris in all directions.
Residents fled and then waited with bated breath to learn more about their homes, as news began to arrive that entire streets had been wiped off the map, firefighters were running out of water, and resources were being diverted to fight the fire on multiple fronts. .
Now, the widespread devastation is becoming clearer as celebrities share their devastation at discovering they have lost their million-dollar mansions.
To make matters worse, the National Weather Service says gusty winds and very dry conditions will continue to fuel fires in the Los Angeles area in the coming days.