Meryl Streep’s nephew, Abe Streep, has revealed how his A-list aunt was forced to make a frightening getaway from her home.
The LA wildfires tore through the Palisades in California, a popular celebrity neighbourhood, earlier this month.
Celebrities were forced to evacuate and many shared horrifying stories on social media as their homes were destroyed and people were killed.
Although the Devil Wears Prada actress hasn’t spoken about the horrifying events herself, her nephew has now revealed that she had to endure a terrifying ordeal in order to escape the blaze.
Abe wrote in an article for New York Magazine: ‘Evacuation mandates were sent across the city.
‘My aunt Meryl Streep received an order to evacuate on January 8, but when she tried to leave, she discovered that a large tree had fallen over in her driveway, blocking her only exit.
‘Determined to make it out, she borrowed wire cutters from a neighbor, cut a car-size hole in the fence she shared with the neighbors on the other side, and drove through their yard to escape.’
Evacuations were ordered across California at the onset of both the Palisades and Eaton Fires. The fires destroyed around 16,200 structures with numerous celebrities speaking out about their evacuation ordeals.
Abe also spoke with Meryl’s Only Murders In The Building co-star, Martin Short who recounted a similar frenzy to escape.
‘On January 7, Short was on a balcony outside his bedroom when he first saw the flames. The years since the 1993 fire had taken from him, too — his wife had died in 2010 — but he was now a grandfather, and his two sons lived in the neighborhood.
‘One of them called to say it was time to evacuate, and Short began retrieving family photo albums. This time, the firefighters couldn’t contain the blaze.
‘Short drove down toward the Pacific Coast Highway, only to find the exits from his neighborhood were clogged. He remained in his car, where it took him more than an hour to cover a distance that would normally take five minutes,’ Abe recounted in his article.
Other celebrities shared similarly scary stories this month. Star Wars actor Mark Hamill said his family were ‘fleeing for our lives’ as they evacuated their home. Other celebrities including Britney Spears, Ben Affleck, Billy Crystal, and Eugene Levy also spoke about their evacuation horror.
Jennifer Garner also revealed her friend died in the fires as they were unable to escape in time.
‘I did lose a friend. And for our church, it’s really tender. So, I don’t feel like I should talk about her yet,’ she told MSNBC.
The actress added: ‘But yeah, I did lose a friend who did not get out on time.’
In November 2023 Meryl announced the shock divorce from her husband of five decades, four children, and several grandchildren.
‘Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than 6 years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart,’ a statement from the Mamma Mia! star confirmed to Page Six.
It has now been rumoured that Meryl is now dating her Only Murders In The Building co-star, Martin, after they have been seen getting closer in recent months.
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