The Most Destructive Fires in California History Have Claimed Lives And Homes Black Celebrities ‘Prayed For’

The massive fires that have engulfed large swaths of Southern California are being chronicled on social media by homeowners and celebrities affected by the devastation. As the damage is surveyed in some areas, a new blaze started and firefighters braced for more winds Friday after a windstorm that whipped flames and embers across Los Angeles made containing the wildfires so complex.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Bozoma Saint John shared her heartbreak over the loss of her home where she and daughter Lael lived.

“This is the house I wanted. The house I prayed for. The house I worked in blood, sweat and tears for,” she wrote on Instagram. “This is an unimaginable loss. I grieve with the rest of Los Angeles as it burns … I ask for your prayer for Lael and I.”

Prayers have poured in for Angelenos as social media has captured the stories of the devastation from the coastal community Pacific Palisades throughout metropolitan Los Angeles.

Famous drummer, Shelia E., reassured fans that she was safe and at her parents’ house.

She added on Instagram, “I am not allowed to go back to my house … they shut everything down. Please continue to pray for the people here in Los Angeles. There are so many who have lost everything.”

Beyonce’s mother, Tina Knowles, also posted on Instagram that the blaze destroyed her home on the beach in Malibu, which she called “my sacred Happy Place.”

“God Bless all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions,” Knowles wrote. “Thank you for your dedication and bravery and for saving so many lives … I am praying diligently for our beautiful City of Los Angeles!!”

The blame game has started

Amid the spreading wildfires, some residents and right-wing conservatives have begun criticizing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. When the fires began on Tuesday, Bass was in Ghana, part of a delegation sent by President Biden for the inauguration of its new president. The former congresswoman, who became mayor in late 2022, returned on Wednesday by which point more than 1,000 homes had burned and 100,000 people across the region had fled their homes.

Residents have questioned why Bass took the trip when forecasts in the days prior to the fires predicted “extreme fire weather conditions.”

During a press conference on Thursday, Bass said, “Let me just say, first and foremost, my number one focus, and I think the focus of all of us here with one voice, is to protect lives, we have to save lives and we have to save homes. Rest assured that …when that is done, when we are safe, when lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, [and] what didn’t work, and to correct or to hold accountable any body, department, individual, etc. … But my focus right now is on the lives and on the homes.”

Billionaire Elon Musk, the close friend of President-elect Donald Trump, used social media to blame DEI for the blaze, claiming efforts by the LA Police Chief Kirstin Crowley to diversify the department overshadowed other priorities. Critics have pointed to fire hydrants without water as one example of mismanagement.

Hurricane force winds coupled with dry conditions have been identified as the cause of the unprecedented blazes. California Governor Gavin Newsom has requested federal aid for assistance as Donald Trump described Newsom as “incompetent” and called for his resignation.

President Joe Biden, who was already in Los Angeles for a scheduled event, toured a fire station and was briefed by officials.

“We’re doing anything and everything and as long as it takes to contain these fires to make sure you get back to normal,” Biden said. “It’s going to be a hell of a long way. It’s going to take time. It’s astounding what’s happening.”