Amid cataclysmic fires in Los Angeles, Mel Gibson appeared on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” and discussed losing his house with host Laura Ingraham. In the brief segment, Ingraham revealed that Gibson lost his Malibu home to the horrific Palisades fire, which sparked on January 7 and has burned over 23,000 acres, as per the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The actor specified that he found out his “neighborhood was on fire” while on Joe Rogan’s podcast last week, revealing there was “nothing left.” He also talked about seeing the loss of his house as “purification.”
Mel Gibson counts his blessings after losing Malibu home in LA wildfires
Mel Gibson recalled losing his Malibu home to the horrific Palisades fire and the community’s suffering and loss in LA as “tragic.” Gibson described feeling “a strange mixture of sadness and almost kind of an elation,” claiming he counts his blessing after witnessing the horrors of last week’s events. He said the house and possessions they lost in the blaze were just “things” that “may or may not be replaceable but they’re only things.” Appearing relieved, he continued, “We’re still here and I just kind of look at it almost in a weird kind of way as purification.”
Gibson remembered returning to his burned home and compared it to the Dresden bombing, sharing the extent of the damage the fire had caused. He then called the situation “very sad” and thought about things, including artwork, photographs, and rare and old books that they lost in the fire. The actor revealed some of these “irreplaceable” books dated back to the 1600s before concluding, “It is what it is, I guess.” Additionally, he recalled the previous fire “only a month ago” that had threatened their home from the other side.
Further opening up on LA fires and the strong winds that fueled them, Mel Gibson stated, “One always suspects that this might happen.” However, he claimed they expected “resources and the capabilities of men and women will be on stand by” to cope with such situations. Saying this, Gibson immediately criticized California’s leadership, calling them out for being “asleep on the job.” He previously called out Governor Gavin Newsom for a lack of preventive measures on Joe Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”