As winds whip through Southern California, scores of businesses — from local restaurants and community institutions to major theme parks — have been affected by the multiple fires burning in the region.
The Palisades fire has now burned more than 3,000 acres, destroying numerous homes and businesses in the Pacific Palisades area. The Eaton fire has burned more than 1,000 acres and many homes in the Pasadena and Altadena areas, while the Hurst fire near Sylmar has burned more than 500 acres.
Already, several longtime businesses have been lost, including the Reel Inn, a casual seafood restaurant and a Malibu institution for more than 30 years. All of the restaurant’s staff were safe, the restaurant’s owners said.
“We are so grateful for the 36 years we’ve been a part of the community. Grateful to all of our customers. We are heartbroken and unsure what will be left,” owners Teddy and Andy Leonard wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday evening.
Vegetation around the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades also caught fire late Tuesday, though the museum’s structures were not affected and its staff and collections are safe, the museum said in a post on X. The Getty Villa will be closed at least through early next week, and the Getty Center in Brentwood will be closed through Jan. 12 “out of caution and to help alleviate traffic in the area,” the museum said.
Livestock and pet supplies store Malibu Feed Bin was also destroyed after 60 years in business, the store wrote in a Facebook post.
Universal Studios Hollywood and the CityWalk shopping area were closed Wednesday due to the fires and extreme wind conditions in Southern California. The theme park said it will “continue to assess the situation” and expects to reopen on Thursday, according to a statement on its website.
“The safety of our team members and our guests is our top priority,” the statement said.
The theme park wasn’t the only Hollywood institution affected by the fires. Several film premieres and screenings scheduled this week were canceled, including Amazon MGM Studios’ “Unstoppable” and Universal Pictures’ “Wolf Man,” which were set for Tuesday.
The scope, devastation and geography of the fire have shaken the entertainment industry.
Multiple stars, including Eugene Levy and Steve Guttenberg, and Hollywood executives and producers live in Pacific Palisades due to its proximity to the ocean and the studio lots. Malibu provides the coastal stretch and particularly high-priced oceanfront homes. More modest workers live in Burbank, Glendale, Altadena and Pasadena — communities that are on the fringes of the mountains.
In an interview on KTLA, Guttenberg urged viewers to leave their keys in their cars if they had to abandon their vehicles along an exit route so first responders and others helping with the fire could clear the road for emergency vehicles.
“This is not a parking lot,” he said on-air. “We really need people to move their cars.”
Times staff writers Alexandra Del Rosario and Julia Wick contributed to this report.
