Mel Gibson walked through the ruins of his $14.5 million Malibu, Calif., mansion after the home was destroyed in the catastrophic Palisades Fire.
The âBraveheartâ actor, 69, surveyed the remains of his estate in an interview with News Nation published Wednesday.
âItâs pretty well-burnt,â he told the outlet of the pile of rubble that was once his home. âIf there is anything there, itâs not much use.â
Gibson admitted that he recovered a safe but found that all the contents inside had been destroyed.
The actorâs two Oscar awards were not stored inside the manse so fortunately those remained safe. However; many of his other awards perished in the blaze.
Gibson sauntered through his âcrispyâ yard, pointing out where his guesthouse and garage once stood. He also examined two of his cars that had been burnt to bits.
âLook what happens to the insides. Wow man, itâs gutted,â he said of his melted vehicles.
He then picked up a piece of the carâs corroded wheel, saying that the metal was âstill hot.â
Gibson walked across piles of nails, metal and other parts that once held the once-luxurious structure together.
âEverythingâs caved in. Youâd have to dig stuff out Iâm sure,â he said. âAnd there may be stuff in there thatâs salvageable. I doubt it. Itâs pretty dark.â
Gibson remained positive, telling the outlet that he is at peace despite losing everything.
âIâm OK with it. Iâm OK. Donât look back. You look forward,â he said.
Driving through his entire neighborhood in a fire truck and seeing all the damage, Gibson said that he felt a sense of community through the tragedy.
âI feel I belong to a large but elite group of people who lost homes and itâs devastating for all of them too,â he said.
Gibsonâs villa-style stone manor was destroyed in the California wildfires while he was recording an episode of Joe Roganâs podcast.
âI was kind of ill at ease while we were talking because I knew my neighborhood was on fire, so I thought, âI wonder if my place is still there,ââ Gibson told NewsNationâs âElizabeth Vargas Reportsâ last week.
âBut when I got home, sure enough, it wasnât there.â
The âWhat Women Wantâ star had flown out to Roganâs studio in Austin, Texas, before the fires broke out Jan. 7.
When he returned home, Gibson found that his abode was âperfectly burnt.â
âItâs just a thing but itâs obviously devastating. Itâs emotional,â he said. âYou know, we have lived there for a long time.â
He tried to look on the bright side of losing his home of nearly 15 years, joking that he has been ârelieved from the burden of [his] stuff because itâs all in cinders.â
âI went home and I said to myself, âWell at least I havenât got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore,ââ he laughed.
Miraculously, the chickens he was raising on the estate survived the deadly blaze.
âIt was amazing. We checked the chicken coop and they were fine,â he said. âSo we gave them some grain and water and they are happy and laying eggs. They werenât roast chickens.â
Itâs unclear if he will return to Malibu and rebuild his home but Gibson will be seeking refuge at his $30 million vacation home in Costa Rica.
âI love it there,â he told Rogan. âItâs in a real nice spot. Itâs not too touristy ⊠kind of off the beaten path.â
More than 40,000 acres were scorched by the fires, destroying thousands of homes and businesses and killing at least 25 people.
Other celebrities who lost their homes include Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Paris Hilton, Miles Teller, Anna Faris, Eugene Levy, Milo Ventimiglia and more.
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