Meryl Streep’s Escape From L.A. Fires Reportedly Involved Cutting Open A Fence to Drive to Safety

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In the chilling early days of January, as Los Angeles was engulfed by a series of devastating wildfires, I found myself in a heart-stopping race against time to save my home. Following a clever improvisation, I carved out a car-sized gap in the fence on one side of my house and swiftly drove to safety, as recounted by my nephew in a recent report.

The most recent edition of New York magazine contains an article written by Abe Streep, detailing the harrowing stories of individuals from diverse backgrounds who managed to flee the disastrous Palisades and Eaton fires that swept across Los Angeles following their ignition on January 7. These devastating blazes ravaged the upscale Pacific Palisades district and Altadena, located within the San Gabriel Valley region near Pasadena, claiming at least 29 lives and reducing over 15,000 structures to ashes. Remarkably, Streep’s article disclosed that his own aunt, a three-time Academy Award winner, had to act swiftly to save herself from the encroaching inferno.

City-wide evacuation notices were issued. My aunt, a well-known actress (Meryl Streep), was ordered to evacuate on January 8th. However, upon attempting to leave, she found that a massive tree had collapsed in her driveway, effectively blocking her sole escape route,” the author, who has previously contributed articles to publications such as the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, WIRED, Harper’s, and Columbia Journalism Review, detailed in the magazine’s main article.

In order to get away, she obtained wire cutters from a nearby neighbor, sliced open a space large enough for a car in the shared fence with her neighbors on the opposite side, and exited through their yard, driving off as an escape route,” explained Abe, who is the son of Meryl Streep’s younger brother.

The Hollywood Reporter has contacted a representative for Meryl Strep regarding her nephew’s account of Meryl’s ordeal during the L.A. evacuations, but there has been no response as of Wednesday. In the article, Abe Streep does not elaborate on what happened to Meryl following her daring escape, nor does he provide details about the fate of Meryl’s home after she drove through a neighbor’s yard to flee the area.

In the article, Abe Streep discussed the similar plight of other famous Palisades residences, highlighting the devastating loss Haley Joel Osment suffered when his Altadena home was consumed by fire. Osment revealed to the journalist that he lost a piano given to him by his parents and a collection of 500 albums as the fire destroyed his home; it was also reported that Osment’s father lost his own home in the same blaze. The actor expressed his intentions to go back to Altadena.

Osment made up his mind to remain at his residence, expressing affection for the location. He couldn’t help but wonder, once everything gets investigated, if perhaps the choice was made to allow the entire neighborhood to decline without intervention?

Apart from sharing the tales of a seasoned resident and a school teacher in the area, he also narrates an incident involving Martin Short, the 74-year-old actor famously known for ‘Only Murderers in the Building’. This veteran comic actor has been a long-term resident of Pacific Palisades. One of his sons advised him to evacuate; as he and his family were leaving due to the rapidly increasing fire, they took a family photo. Martin Short revealed that it took over an hour for them to leave Pacific Palisades on January 7, and residents were forced to abandon their cars to flee on foot due to the growing blaze.

By Tuesday morning, both the Palisades and Eaton fires were almost entirely under control, with containment levels at 95% and 99%; it’s worth noting that the Palisades fire now holds the record as the largest blaze ever recorded in Los Angeles.

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2025-01-30 03:54