‘Complete gridlock and not one traffic cop on the roads helping,’ wrote the ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ star. Gellar is just one of many celebrities to have been forced to evacuate by a wave of catastrophic fires sweeping across southern California.
![[Sarah Michelle Gellar in New York in December 2024]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/09/16/GettyImages-2189474833.jpg)
Several have blamed local government for a lack of preparedness. Salvador actor James Woods, who lost his home in the Palisades, wrote on X that the devastation caused by the fire wasn’t due to “climate change” but because of “liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass.”.
“One doesn’t understand the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs,” wrote Woods. TV fitness expert Jillian Michaels was also among those criticizing a lack of local leadership. In a further post The Biggest Loser star continued: “California governor @GavinNewsom issues a press release admitting they knew about the insane fire risk this past Sunday because he was propositioning fire engines. And yet, he just called in the national guard a few hours ago.
“Pacific Palisades ran out of water at 3am. I’m so so upset for the people of California. My family who stayed. My lifelong friends who live there. Our brave firefighters. This is not a partisan issue it’s pure incompetence and misprioritization.”.
The fires, which have claimed five lives and forced more than 70,000 people to flee their homes, continue to rage across Los Angeles County, fuelled by high winds. The Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires erupted on Tuesday while two more — the Tyler and Woodley fires — ignited nearby on Wednesday. A state of emergency has been declared in the city.
