The devastating Palisades fire left thousands homeless, including soap opera star Eric Braeden.
The actor who plays Victor Newman on CBS’s “The Young and the Restless” was walking home from work last week when he received word of a fire near his home. Fire officials initially told Braden’s wife that there was no need to worry because the wildfire was heading west. A short time later, Braden said he saw flames burning nearby.
“Within 20 minutes it was hell,” he explained.
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Since then, the couple has worked hard to squeeze in everything they can.
A few days later, Braden made an emotional return to his beloved hometown on Entertainment Tonight. He walked through the devastation just a few weeks ago while visiting his granddaughter, who was in town from college, on vacation.
“I remember her and my wife sitting on the couch talking and having a great time, talking about the fact that one day that (home) would be hers,” he recalled.
He discovered the remains of a training bench and an area where his son, Den of Thieves screenwriter and director Christian Gudegast, had written the screenplay. The sequel to this film, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, is currently a huge hit at the box office. Braden is currently experiencing a wave of emotions, balancing excitement for his son and reeling from the tragedy.
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The actor said the whole experience of losing his home was draining.
“Mainly, when I want to go home, I say, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t live there anymore,’ which happened to happen two or three times,” he said.
He wants to rebuild, which he says will take about a year and a half, but he’s worried about insurance issues.
Building homes is another matter, but the Palisades themselves are on a long road to recovery. However, he denounced the politicization of the bushfires and said authorities had “done their utmost efforts”.
“So pointing fingers at anyone now is outrageous and irresponsible,” he exclaimed.
Through all of this, Braden remains extremely proud of the city of Los Angeles and the state of California.
“We’re going to rebuild this damn place,” he said, holding up a fist of hope.
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