As horror stories continue to emerge from California, actress Jennifer Garner has revealed that one of her friends has died due to the devastating wildfires.
The Deadpool & Wolverine star, 52, was seen fighting back tears as she opened up about the loss in an emotional interview on Friday (10 January).
The mother-of-three explained that she has been doing all she can to help communities in the Pacific Palisades, who are some of the worst affected.
Authorities say the inferno tearing through the affluent area of LA is the biggest blaze, alongside the Eaton fire, which are both reported to have devoured almost 36,000 acres of land over the past few days.
In total, six infernos have been raging across the county since Tuesday (7 January) and 11 people have been killed, according to The New York Times.
Garner explained she has been working with the not-for-profit food relief organisation World Central Kitchen (WCK) to distribute meals to firefighters and locals who have lost everything.
Appearing alongside chef Jose Andres on MSNBC, the star explained that ‘hundreds’ of her pals properties had gone up in flames, while one friend tragically lost their life.
While chatting to reporter Katy Tur, Garner’s voice cracked as she said: “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.
“But yeah, I did lose a friend who did not get out on time.”
She was seemingly referring to a member of the local Methodist Church which she regularly attends with her family, which is where Garner’s children ‘went to Sunday school‘.
“We lit the Advent candle together there a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “We watched the little kids perform. It’s a preschool. It’s a central part of our community.
“It’s a gathering point for the entire community. And full of really quirky, cool, mostly blue collar people of the community.
“I loved belonging there because wherever I went, I would run into somebody from our community,” she poignantly added.
Garner’s former husband Ben Affleck – who she shares children Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, and Samuel, 12, with – fled to his ex-wife’s home after he was forced to evacuate.
The actor – who split from Jennifer Lopez last year after a short-lived marriage – was relieved to see his house still standing in recent days, although authorities have warned that high winds could fan the flames further.
Garner lives in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood in LA and has reportedly not been ordered to evacuate yet.
However, fire officials have since said that the Palisades fire seems to have shifted east on Friday towards the area, which LA County spokesman Jesus Ruiz described as a ‘significant development’.
Garner went on to explain that she has been overwhelmed by ‘guilt‘ because her home has not been affected.
The Texas-born performer continued: “I just…my heart bleeds for all my friends. I mean, I can think of a hundred families and there are 5,000 homes lost.
“Without even thinking, I can write out a list of a hundred friends that lost their homes.
“I feel almost guilty walking through my house just, you know, what can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the safety that I have?”
The actress, who is an ambassador for Save The Children, said she had been using all the resources at her disposal to lend a hand to those in need.
“It is an incredible thing to watch,” she continued. “World Central Kitchen and Chef José just come in and… ‘We’ve got you. We’ve got this handled. Don’t worry.’
“I’ve lived in and around the Palisades for 25 years, so I just think all of us, we want to get our hands into working, somehow, to be helpful.
“And because of my work with Save The Children, we have a relationship with the chef, and I was able to just say, ‘Can I be with you for the day? What can I do to help? Put me to work’.”
Garner said that the organisations will also ‘be in shelters helping parents and kids, keeping them safe and social and emotional’.
