Fury against ‘wasteful, entitled’ celebrities grew last night as stars including Kim Kardashian, were accused of squandering vital water resources that could have been used to save homes.
Strict water-conserving measures have been in place since 2022, with ‘ordinary’ residents restricted to watering their gardens twice a week for eight minutes at a time.
Ms Kardashian, who lives in a $60 million house in The Oaks – an exclusive gated community near the epicentre of one of this week’s fires – was fined by city authorities that year for using 232,000 gallons of water more than her allocation.
Other celebrities including Sylvester Stallone and comedian Kevin Hart were also fined.
The Mail on Sunday understands that Ms Kardashian has since installed water-saving measures.
Last night a neighbour of Ms Kardashian told the Mail on Sunday: ‘These celebrities have a sense of entitlement.
‘Everyone was told to cut back on water precisely for this situation, to preserve it to fight fires. They carried on watering because they could afford the fines.’
Anger was also growing at rich people hiring private firefighters for $2,000 an hour to protect their properties.
Chris Dunn, owner of Covered 6, which provides the service to Hollywood’s elite, told the Mail on Sunday: ‘My phone has been ringing off the hook. Demand has never been higher.’
One wealthy source said: ‘This week’s events have shown you can’t trust the city to protect your property. I have the money, so why not?’
It comes as residents of Mandeville Canyon and Brentwood are trying to flee to safety as the Palisades Fire begins engulfing several celebrity-owned million dollar homes.
Footage from earlier today shows at least one house ablaze in the canyon and massive clouds of smoke billowing near Sepulveda Pass at Highway 405.
As thousands of residents in the City of Angels continue to evacuate, multiple drivers on Sunset Boulevard, located south of Mandeville Canyon have reported being stuck in a gridlock.
One distressed woman remained stuck in unmoving traffic for two hours while heading toward a fire station to drop off donated goods for firefighters, according to ABC.
‘There was a visibility when I first got here, a little bit of blue sky, and it has unfolded to absolutely ugliness,’ she told the publication.
Firefighters and helicopters have also been seen circling the area and making massive water drops as the 22,660-acre fire continues to spread.
The hellish flames have already as claimed the lives of around 16 people while burning over 37,000 acres of land and destroying 12,000 structures in its wake.
At least 13 people remain missing, according to officials.
In total, an estimated 153,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders and about 57,000 structures remain at risk.
The good Samaritan further added that while standing still on the road, she offered a place to stay to a woman in the car ahead who had been forced to evacuate from her home.
‘It’s very unfortunate that it takes something like this to bring everybody together. Hopefully this will continue, even after this,’ she told the publication.
Several off-ramps to the 405 Freeway including Getty Center Drive, Skirball Center Drive, Sunset, Wilshire, Santa Monica and Olympic boulevards have been closed in order to limit traffic in the West Los Angeles area.
According to state authority Cal Fire, there are at least six fires currently burning, with the Palisades fire being the largest.
The spread of flames has forced thousands more to evacuate from their homes in the upscale Brentwood and Encino suburbs where several celebrities, such as LeBron James, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kamala Harris, own homes.
‘I pray this nightmare ends soon! So many prayers’, James, who purchased his lavish Brentwood pad in 2017 for $23 million, tweeted over night.
Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Brentwood mansion is also under threat as LA authorities declared a local health emergency over night for the whole county due to poor air quality.
LA County Public Health issued a public health order, stating that the fires had ‘severely degraded air quality’ that poses ‘immediate and long-term risks to public health’.
As airplanes continue dropping fire retardant in Mandeville Canyon, aiming to create a defensive barrier around homes, federal agents remain on the lookout for fire starters.
