Published: January 9, 2025 6:05 pm
Author: RT
The devastating fire has killed five people and destroyed over 2,000 structures in the Los Angeles area
A luxury property rented by US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, has been incinerated in the wildfire currently ravaging the Los Angeles area, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday. US President-elect Donald Trump has blamed much of the devastation on Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The Palisades Fire began as a small brush blaze in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Tuesday morning. By Wednesday, however, it had been fanned by hurricane-force winds into a fast-moving conflagration that tore through the affluent neighborhoods between Santa Monica and Malibu. The fire has killed five people, destroyed more than 2,000 structures, and is 0% contained, according to the latest information from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Among the buildings destroyed is a $4 million property in Malibu that was rented by Hunter Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen, the Daily Mail reported. The British tabloid published pictures of the property burned to the ground, with only two stone chimney stacks still standing.
Hunter Biden’s Los Angeles home was lost in the Palisades blaze. pic.twitter.com/U2LdsfUzpj
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) January 9, 2025
The president’s son had rented the property for $15,800 per month and used the idyllic space to work on his paintings, the Daily Mail claimed. Also destroyed was a neighboring house rented by Hunter’s Secret Service detail at a monthly cost to the US taxpayer of $16,000, the newspaper added.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, President Biden addressed the damage to his son’s home, although he did not confirm whether it had been burned down.
“My son lives out here and his wife. They got a notification yesterday their home was probably burned to the ground,” Biden said. “Today, it appears that maybe [it’s] still standing, but I’m not sure.”
READ MORE: Wildfire ravages affluent LA neighborhood (VIDEOS)
Hunter Biden is not the only famous name affected by the blaze. Heiress Paris Hilton and actors Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Anthony Hopkins are among dozens of celebrities whose houses have been burned to the ground, according to media reports and social media posts from the stars themselves.
The home of Anthony Hopkins pic.twitter.com/OPuliSb8zT
— Gina Macina 🇨🇦 (@GinaMacina60) January 9, 2025
Praying for our beautiful city🥺So heartbroken to see it burning down like this💔 pic.twitter.com/DqS18IveIi
— Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton) January 9, 2025
Firefighters battling the blaze have struggled to find enough water, as hydrants in Pacific Palisades ran dry on Wednesday. Trump has blamed the water shortage on Governor Newsom, claiming environmental concerns he cited when refusing to sign an order “that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snowmelt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California” has led to the people of Los Angeles County paying “the ultimate price.”
The incoming president has also pointed the finger at Biden, accusing the president of channeling money away from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) toward environmental projects, a claim that has been disputed by liberal media outlets.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has also been criticized online for embarking on a trip to Africa over the weekend, amid warnings about an incoming windstorm at home. Politicians and developers also blasted her for slashing the budget of the fire department by $17.6 million last year. In a post on Wednesday on X, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk called Bass “utterly incompetent.”
