Actor Meryl Streep, 75, was forced to cut a hole in her fence big enough to drive through as she recently fled the raging Los Angeles wildfires.
Abe Streep, Streep's nephew, revealed her desperate act in a New York Magazine article.
"Evacuation mandates were sent across the city. My aunt Meryl Streep received an order to evacuate on January 8, but when she tried to leave, she discovered that a large tree had fallen over in her driveway, blocking her only exit," Abe Streep wrote. "Determined to make it out, she borrowed wire cutters from a neighbor, cut a car-size hole in the fence she shared with the neighbors on the other side, and drove through their yard to escape."
Abe Streep also spoke with his aunt's longtime friend Martin Short, along with actor Haley Joel Osment, as they detailed the devastating wildfires that ripped through L.A.'s Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.
Short, 74, scrambled to evacuate his Pacific Palisades home on Jan. 7, grabbing family photo albums before spending over an hour navigating gridlocked streets as some residents ditched their cars to flee on foot.
Meanwhile, actor Haley Joel Osment had just returned from a film shoot when the Eaton Fire erupted near his Altadena home. Flames consumed 500 of his records and a piano gifted by his parents on his 18th birthday. Osment told New York Magazine that the devastation was even greater for his father, who lost his home.
"Not to cast blame or anything, but I just want to know, when this is all investigated — was there a decision to just let the whole neighborhood go?" Osment said.
Authorities confirmed Monday that the wildfire death toll had climbed to 29, according to People.
Short told New York Magazine that while his Pacific Palisades home was spared, his son lost his nearby house. Meanwhile, Osment plans to rebuild in Altadena.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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