Simon Cowell issues urgent plea to fans as he breaks silence on Los Angeles wildfires amid UK return
Simon Cowell has made an emotional plea for support following devastating wildfires that continue to rage across Los Angeles, where the media mogul has owned property for a quarter century.
Taking to Instagram over the weekend, the 65-year-old Britain’s Got Talent judge expressed his distress over the ongoing crisis.
“Los Angeles has been my second home for the past 25 years. I am devastated by what I’ve seen and read. What is happening right now is horrific,” Cowell said in his video message.
The entertainment executive announced he would be making a donation to the Red Cross and urged others to follow suit, adding: “I strongly ask other people like myself, who can do something to help, to help.”
The wildfires have already claimed 24 lives as of Monday morning while destroying over 37,000 acres of land and 12,000 structures across Los Angeles County.
An estimated 153,000 residents are currently under mandatory evacuation orders, with approximately 57,000 structures remaining at risk.
At least 13 people are still reported missing as the inferno continues to spread.
Several major routes, including off-ramps to the 405 Freeway at Getty Center Drive, Skirball Center Drive, and other key boulevards, have been closed to limit traffic in West Los Angeles.
According to Cal Fire, at least six fires are currently burning, with the Palisades fire being the largest, as of Sunday evening.
LA authorities have declared a local health emergency for the entire county, citing “severely degraded air quality” that poses immediate and long-term public health risks.
Cowell’s connection to Los Angeles spans 25 years, with the media mogul owning property in Malibu, one of the areas severely affected by the current wildfires.
The entertainment executive has split his time between the UK and US throughout his career, launching several successful television franchises including American Idol in 2002 and America’s Got Talent in 2006.
His Malibu residence is located in one of the regions where thousands have been forced to evacuate, alongside other celebrities including LeBron James, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kamala Harris.
“I’m sending you my love, my prayers, my support,” Cowell concluded in his Instagram message, having witnessed the devastation in an area he has called his second home since the late 1990s.
Growing anger has emerged against celebrities accused of squandering vital water resources that could have been used to combat the fires.
Strict water-conserving measures have been in place since 2022, limiting ordinary residents to watering their gardens twice weekly for eight minutes.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Joel Dommett makes feelings clear on ITV Masked Singer Macy Gray chaos as he breaks silenceHolly Willoughby sparks outrage with ‘appalling’ ITV Dancing on Ice tribute to former starJeremy Clarkson wades into grooming gangs row: ‘We must remove shackles of political correctness’
Kim Kardashian, who lives in the $60 million Oaks gated community near one of the fire epicentres, was previously fined for using 232,000 gallons of water above her allocation.
“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,” a neighbour told the Mail on Sunday.
Further controversy surrounds wealthy residents hiring private firefighters at $2,000 per hour. Chris Dunn, owner of Covered 6, reported: “My phone has been ringing off the hook. Demand has never been higher.”