Meryl Streep’s harrowing evacuation from Los Angeles home during wildfires revealed
Acting royalty Meryl Streep was forced to “cut a car-size hole” in her fence to evacuate her home during the Los Angeles wildfires, her family have revealed.
Earlier this month, the wildfires caused destruction throughout the county of Los Angeles, which led to more than 170,000 people evacuating their homes. Tragically, the death toll from the fires currently stands at 29.
The wildfires began on January 7th, and in the following days, the damage continued to increase with each passing hour. Many notable figures from the world of entertainment, such as Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, Adam Brody, and Anthony Hopkins, lost their homes.
Now, in a new piece for New York Magazine, writer Abe Streep has detailed the horror that his Academy Award-winning relative faced during her evacuation.
“Evacuation mandates were sent across the city. My aunt Meryl Streep received an order to evacuate on January 8, but when she tried to leave, she discovered that a large tree had fallen over in her driveway, blocking her only exit,” Streep wrote.
Elaborating on her harrowing challenge, Streep added: “Determined to make it out, she borrowed wire cutters from a neighbor, cut a car-size hole in the fence she shared with the neighbors on the other side, and drove through their yard to escape.”
This week, FireAid is set to take place in Los Angeles to raise money for the communities and victims affected by the wildfires. World-renowned artists such as Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Green Day, and Sting will take to the stage at the Inuit Dome and the Kia Forum for two benefit concerts on January 30th.
Irving Azoff, who is producing FireAid, told Billboard what to expect from the event: “Most people are doing two to three songs. A few are doing four. After it was already on sale and [artists] are all set, then other [artists] called. Since all the slots were gone and God knows how long the show is going to be–right now it’s five-and-a-half hours–[we said], ‘It’s too late to add you to the bill and we don’t have a slot, but how would you like to go do XYZ with such and such an artist?’ I think there’s a good half dozen really surprise moments.”
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