Firefighters and emergency personnel have been working diligently to control the fires, but strong winds and dry conditions have created a ‘perfect storm,’ enabling the fire to cover thousands of acres in the subsequent days.
Though the major fires in Palisades and Eaton are still active, efforts to contain them have shown progress.
Tragically, the wildfires have resulted in the deaths of at least 27 people and the destruction of over 12,000 structures.
Spencer and Heidi Montag’s home was completely destroyed in the fire. Fortunately, the family managed to escape but now faces the challenge of rebuilding.
On Friday (January 10), Pratt disclosed his plan to initiate a lawsuit against the State of California, alleging negligence that he claims resulted in the loss of their home.
The former reality television star recounted to Perez Hilton his attempts to seek assistance from the Los Angeles Fire Department as their house was engulfed in flames.
He stated, “They never came. The gate was still locked. They never came. I watched from my security cameras until our house burned down. There were no fire trucks.”
Previously, Pratt shared his heartbreak over the situation with his TikTok followers: “I know people are like, ‘You’re rich, you will be fine.’ Yeah, I wish. Everything in our house was paid for by Heidi and I hustling any way we could.
“Everything we have worked for was in this house… we are starting at zero now.”
Subsequently, two friends of the couple launched a GoFundMe campaign, which has collected over $135,000 so far.
The page details: “Spencer, Heidi, and their boys lost everything in the Pacific Palisades fire.
“I set this up for them to help them rebuild after losing everything they owned in the fire. The money will go directly to them and it will be used at their discretion to rebuild their lives. They need to buy everything, clothes, food, household items, etc.”
Despite the effort, the couple, known for their role in The Hills, has faced criticism about the necessity of the donations.
Spencer clarified to US Weekly: “Nobody thought we were rich celebrities until three days ago and it’s getting frustrating. Like if you Google ‘Spencer,’ it literally [says] ‘Broke, no net worth’.
“My net worth on that site that you search for the last 15 years… has been $1,000. So now our house burns down, my parents’ house burns down [and] now we’re rich celebrities, which is infuriating because the media, respectfully, has never called us celebrities [and] never called us rich.”
The couple has previously been open about their financial history.
In a 2016 PEOPLE article, they discussed how they spent the wealth gained from their reality TV success, including $1 million on Heidi’s wardrobe, staff and bodyguards, extravagant dinners, and a $1 million crystal collection.
“I was kind of playing house,” Heidi admitted. “I felt like I was someone I wasn’t. We had business managers who told us to stop spending but we acted like we knew what we were doing.”